Sand
by The People Speak
Summary: Make or break. Love or hate. Rivals, friends or lovers. Some how it seemed like one was always just missing the other. Almost like sand slipping through someone's fingers. But more like sand in an hourglass: as it slips away time still moves on. A series of meetings between May and Drew. Eight parts: 8/8 complete. Part 8: He Is in Love. Contestshipping. -complete-
1. First: Coffee At Midnight

**Part 1: Coffee at Midnight**

* * *

 _Small talk, he drives_

 _Coffee at Midnight_

 _The light reflects_

 _The chain on your neck_

 _He says, look up_

 _And your shoulders brush_

 _No proof, one touch_

 _You felt enough,_

 _-_ You Are In Love, Taylor Swift

* * *

The ship's horn blew loudly as waves crashed against the hull and it neared the shoreline. May's hand secured itself atop her head, holding her green bandana in place. She peered through squinted eyes at the approaching city with a certain apprehension she'd not felt before. The sea breeze ripped across the deck, much colder than the breezes felt in May's home region. Already her orange tank top and shorts felt like the wrong clothing choice for October in Johto and she hadn't even hit shore yet.

May was nervous to set foot on the land. Those first steps would mark the first steps of her Johto journey after traveling through both Kanto and her home region of Hoenn. This would be May's first journey by herself as she had traveled before with her friends Ash and Brock and her annoying little brother Max. May herself had decided to come to Johto to compete in the contest circuit as Max headed home to Petalburg in Hoenn, Brock to Pewter City in Kanto and Ash to Sinnoh to start a new journey.

May knew she wouldn't be completely alone in Johto. Three of her rivals, Drew, Harley and Solidad, would also be competing there. Drew was the one who had convinced May that she should go to Johto and discover her own style of battling. She had taken his advice to heart. While her three friends, if they could be called that, would be in Johto competing, that didn't mean May was traveling with them. Thus, she was nervous to travel alone for the first time.

The ship's horn blared again as it finally pulled into port at Olivine City, the port city of Johto. May scooped up her backpack, which had been resting at her feet, and slung it over her back. She moved towards the middle deck of the ship as they lowered the boarding platform. May descended somewhat reluctantly from the ship and took her first steps into the region of Johto.

When she exited the ship's terminal, she was met with a bustling and charming port city, reminiscent of Ever Grande City in Hoenn. She adjusted the straps of her bag and stepped towards the city. May wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do so she pulled out a map of the city she'd acquired on the boat. There was a contest office about a block's walk from the terminal, so she decided that was her destination. When she arrived at the office and went inside, the building was relatively quiet.

May approached the young receptionist at the desk. "Hello? I was wondering if you could give me some information on the contests here in Johto."

The young woman looked up. "Oh! I recognize you! You're May Maple, Princess of Hoenn." May blushed and the woman chuckled. "You're a great coordinator my dear. Welcome to Johto. The new contest circuit here doesn't start for another three weeks. The first contest is located in Len Town near Azalea Town. I've got a schedule I can give you if you'd like?" The woman pulled a pamphlet out from a drawer in her desk.

May accepted it gratefully and flipped through. It gave the dates and locations of all the contests for the next season as well as a page on the Grand Festival and its requirements. Apparently the Grand festival was to be held in Goldenrod, the largest city in Johto. "Thank you very much!" May said happily to the receptionist who bid the coordinator a fine farewell as May left back onto the streets of Olivine.

Now that she had her information about the contests here in Johto, May didn't really have any idea of what to do about the three weeks she had to spare. Eventually, like any coordinator, May decided to explore Olivine by doing some shopping. She located a small clothing store on her map that wasn't too far from her and she set off.

May found that residents of Olivine City and tourists alike were all very friendly and willing to offer her advice. As she thanked an older woman who had given her directions to her desired destination, she could have sworn she glimpsed a head of familiar green hair.

"Drew?" May mumbled under her breath, surprised at possibly seeing her rival.

Remembering that she had headed home to Petalburg for a while first before coming to Johto and that Drew had come straight to Johto, May knew it was unlikely that her rival and possibly friend had stuck around in the same place for so long. Shaking off the creeping suspicion that had edged over her neck, May entered the clothing store.

She browsed through several racks of clothing for slightly warmer attire, as she had begun noticing that her cool Hoenn clothing probably would not help with Johto's cooler climate, much like it hadn't in Kanto. She was flipped through a rack of long sleeved tops when she was interrupted.

"Excuse me? Are you May Maple?" A woman asked. May turned from the rack of clothes and saw a young woman around Brock's age before her. She had long brown hair and warm, curious brown eyes. She was wearing a blue dress with a white sweater over top.

May nodded in response to the question. "Yeah that's me."

The woman smiled brightly. "Wow! I'm a big fan of yours. I loved watching you in the Kanto Grand Festival. You improved a lot from your performance in Hoenn to now. I assume you're participating in the Johto contests this year?"

May smiled. "Yeah, and I plan to win it all. But, since you know my name already, could I get yours?"

The woman laughed. "Sorry, I'm Jasmine. I'm the Gym Leader here in Olivine and I'm a big fan of contests." She held out a slender hand for May to shake and the coordinator took it with a smile.

May returned to browsing the clothing rack as Jasmine walked away for a minute. The gym leader reappeared a moment later, holding a green jacket with an orange Pokéball design across the lower right side. "Try this on!" Jasmine prompted. "I think it would look good on you, if you're looking for something warmer."

May tried on the coat and found it was warm and comfortable with a decent price too. "Thanks Jasmine! It's perfect!"

The gym leader grinned. "It looks good on you. Are you looking for anything else?"

May thought for a moment. "I guess I might want to pick up a fancier outfit for any ceremonies I might attend."

Jasmine looped her arm through the coordinator's. "I think I know just the dress."

Five minutes later, May emerged from a change room wearing a sapphire blue halter dress that fell to her knees with a flattering waistline. She felt very pretty and elegant. She twirled in front of the mirror and Jasmine clapped happily.

"I knew it would fit you! You'd look absolutely darling on a date with your boyfriend."

May turned, surprised. "Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "Drew Hayden, isn't he your boyfriend? Everyone inside and outside the coordinating world seems to think so."

May blushed. "No, no. Drew and I are just rivals. We're barely even friends."

Jasmine shrugged. "Sorry for calling him your beau then. But, from a girl who deals with a lot of people, you two would be a cute couple."

May's blush worsened, her face was practically glowing. "Well, back to the dress. Should I buy it?"

Jasmine nodded. "Definitely. The folks here in Johto sure know how to throw a fun party. Especially after contests."

May smiled and twirled a little more. "I think I will. Thank you for all your help Jasmine. I really like the dress and the jacket." May paid for her new clothing articles and bid the gym leader farewell as she headed for the Pokémon centre, intent on getting some rest after a long day of travel. Jasmine gave May her Pokégear number and told the coordinator to call if she was ever in Olivine again, for a contest or otherwise.

May arrived at the Pokémon centre after grabbing a quick bite to eat for dinner from a nearby restaurant. As Nurse Joy was taking her trainer card to get her a room, May couldn't help but to overhear a group of girls who were sitting around a table in the lobby.

"I'm so excited that Drew Hayden is in Johto!" One of the girls cried out excitedly.

"He's so dreamy! I hope he wins the Grand Festival this year." Another girl said, clutching her hands to her chest.

May was thoroughly confused. Did that mean Drew was still in Olivine? From the way the sentence was phrased, May guessed that Drew had been here recently and had already left, leaving his fangirls to, well, fangirl. Nurse Joy interrupted May's chain of thought by returning her trainer card to her along with a room key.

"Thank you!" May said pleasantly as she slid the key into her pocket.

"You're welcome. Welcome to Olivine City Miss Maple." Nurse Joy replied cheerfully.

"Chansey!" Her Chansey chirped excitedly, waving its hand at May. May giggled and waved back.

The brunette made her way to her room and all but collapsed on the bed. She dumped her backpack by the dresser and went into the bathroom to wash up. She changed into her pajamas and crawled beneath the sheets. She felt strange, knowing that she'd wake up and go on with her journey at her own pace, not Ash's as he rushed to get his gym badges. Somehow even the thought of sleeping in made her miss her friends and family less. May was almost tempted to phone Ash, just for old times sake, but then she remembered that she had no idea where the trainer might be in Sinnoh or even what time it was.

Instead, she let her exhaustion take over and May drifted into sleep. Several fitful hours later, May woke up suddenly. She groaned, still tired. A glance at the clock next to her bed revealed it to be just past eleven. She tried for several minutes to get back to sleep, but it was to no avail. Maybe, she wondered, if she phoned Max or her mum she might be able to sleep again. May quickly dressed and ran her fingers through her hair so she didn't look too totally sleep deprived and glanced at her Pokégear. Factoring in the time change, it was around eight thirty or nine at night in Hoenn so someone at her house should still be awake.

Making her way quietly down into the Pokémon centre lobby, May was greeted by an empty room besides Nurse Joy who was quietly tending to some Pokémon in the back room. Not wanting to bother her, May walked over to the videophones. Instead of working phones, she instead found black screens along with a note saying that the phones needed repairs because of a recent power surge that had fried all their wires. Sighing, May knew she probably couldn't call home tonight.

Deciding that it wasn't worth it to return to her room, the brunette took a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace for a bit, hoping the warmth might bring her drowsiness back so that she might get some more shut-eye.

When the doors of the centre slid open, May's head snapped back so quickly she nearly got whiplash. She couldn't tell who was more surprised: her or Drew. Drew had just got into the Pokémon centre after what May assumed was a late day of training.

Drew shook off his surprise faster and smirked at his rival, walking towards her. "Well May, you finally caught up."

"Drew? Hi?" May mumbled somewhat still confused.

Drew chuckled at her a little. "Tired?" He sat down on an armchair near the fire as well.

May sighed. "Yeah. I just got into Johto today and I'm exhausted. It must be the time change or something because I just couldn't get much sleep. I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep."

Drew shrugged. "That's unfortunate. Since we're both here, would you like to get coffee?"

"Coffee? At midnight?"

Her rival nodded slowly. "Yes May. It'll be your welcome to Johto."

May paused but eventually shrugged. "Why not. It's not like either of us will get much sleep tonight anyways."

Drew led the way out of the Pokémon centre. May was wearing the jacket that Jasmine had picked out, but the wind was still chilly that late at night. She shivered involuntarily and rubbed her arms as she kept pace with her rival. Drew had apparently picked up a new wardrobe in Johto too because he wore black slacks that were a change from usual as well as a grey jacket over a purple t-shirt. He also had a dark grey scarf wrapped around his neck. May presumed that he had probably been prepared to be out in the cool night for a while.

May peeked a look at Drew's face as they walked. He was quite a bit taller than her now. She supposed that if she wished, she could tuck her head under his chin. At the thought of the affectionate gesture, May's cheeks flushed pink and she looked away. Drew glanced down at her moments later and saw her shiver again. He paused in his stride and unwrapped his scarf from his neck before offering it to his rival.

May glanced at him in shock. "Drew what are you doing?"

"Giving you my scarf. You look cold." He offered it to her again and May accepted it meekly, wrapping it around her own neck.

Already she was warmer and it smelled faintly of sandalwood and other pleasant scents. "Thanks." She murmured. "But won't you be cold now?"

He laughed. "I'll be fine May. My jacket is a lot thicker than yours."

He continued leading the way to wherever they were going for coffee. At midnight. May supposed she was crazy, but then again Drew was the one that suggested it. Perhaps they were both insane. After another two minutes, Drew turned towards a café to their left that was miraculously still open. He held the door open for May and she scurried inside. They found a small table near the window and May removed Drew's scarf, the warmth of the coffee shop comforting. She offered the clothing article back to him but he waved her off.

"Keep it. I've got another just like it. Would you like anything?"

May reached at her side for her purse and wallet before realizing that she'd forgotten them both in her room at the Pokécentre. "Oh shoot, I don't have my wallet."

Again, Drew waved her off. "Don't worry about it. I've got it."

May smiled at him gratefully. "A mocha would be great then."

Drew perked a brow. "Kind of boring for you Maple."

May rolled her eyes. "I bet you take your coffee black. Just like your soul."

Drew laughed. "Yeah right. No, I drink lattes with an extra shot of espresso. It's a cultured drink."

May wrinkled her nose. "Ew coffee," she joked.

Drew raised an eyebrow. "You drink a mocha which is just hot chocolate with coffee."

May raised her hands like she was surrendering. "Jeez, I'm sorry. I normally drink hot chocolates, but I think I need the caffeine right now."

Drew shook his head at her, amused. "I'll just be a minute."

He walked away to order their drinks. May drummed her fingernails over the polished wooden table in time to the soft music that was playing in the background. She and Drew were the only two customers. Considering it was past midnight now, she wasn't surprised. The barista had looked extremely surprised to see the two coordinators enter, but had seemed mildly relieved that he actually got to mix some drinks on his shift.

Drew returned several minutes later with two hot drinks. He placed one in front of May and sat back down in his seat, removing his jacket. May tentatively took a sip of the mocha and Drew raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not trying to poison you Maple."

May bit her tongue lightly. "Well you never know with you do you? I am going to be quite some tough competition this season," she remarked proudly. Her tongue tingled from a strange taste in her mocha. It wasn't bad, it was actually pretty good, but it was very different.

Drew seemed to notice her change in expression. "It seemed a little plain so I added a pump of hazelnut into it."

Now it was May's turn to perk an eyebrow. "That was actually really sweet. Thank you." Drew just shrugged, but continued to study her.

May caught his emerald eyes with her own and she felt herself growing warmer. Her neck was warm, so May knew she was blushing. Drew didn't seem to really notice as he leaned back and took a long sip of his latte.

The quietness in the atmosphere between them was making May nervous. "Why are you still in Olivine?" she blurted.

Drew shrugged. "I've been planning an effective route through Johto, hitting up as many contests as I can. Whether I participate in all of them or not depends. I may just go to one to scout out the competition." He pulled a map out of the deep pockets of his coat and passed it to May. He had marked where all the contests he wanted to hit up would be, where would be an interesting place to train, where he wanted to simply sightsee and even an estimated of how many days he could spend in one place.

May passed him the map back, impressed. "You've really done your research. I didn't really think it was like you to stick around in one place for so long. Couldn't you have made your map on your way to Len Town where the first contest will be held?"

"Probably," he replied, "but I wanted to do some training on Routes 38 and 39 too." He was back to studying May's face again, which made her nervous. "What took you so long to get to Johto?"

"I went home to Hoenn first. I wanted to make sure Max got home safely. He starts his journey next April! Also, my mum wanted to see me before I took off. I'd been missing Petalburg anyways." May said with a tiny smile etched on to her face at the thought of home.

Drew nodded. May briefly remembered the way Drew had phrased his question. He had obviously come straight from Kanto and maybe he had expected her to do the same. That left May wondering if maybe he had only stayed around Olivine because he was waiting for her.

"Drew, were you waiting for me?" May asked hesitantly.

He took another long sip of his coffee and placed the empty cup back on the table. He gave her a cryptic half-smile and half-smirk that infuriated May. He stood from the table and slid his jacket on again. "Thanks for the coffee May. I'll see you around Maple. I look forward to seeing your new style in action." He headed for the door to the café.

"Idiot. You were the one who paid for the coffee," she mumbled under her breath. Louder, she called, "Do you plan on sticking around any longer?"

Drew gave her his famous two-fingered salute. "Probably not. I need to get a move on to the Len Town contest. I'll see you there."

He said it with such a certainty that May felt obligated to go to Len Town that very moment. She wasn't even sure if she was going to participate in the contest or not yet. She watched Drew walk out the door and realized that he was leaving the city right that very moment.

"Idiot. It's the middle of the night and he hasn't even slept." She grumbled.

May picked up her jacket and his scarf. She'd have to return it in Len Town.

* * *

Author's Note: Welcome to my new story! This is Sand, a story of meetings between May and Drew during their Johto journeys. It's an eight part story with each featuring a different cliche. This chapter's was coffee shop meetings at midnight. I'm not sure when the next update will be, but it will hopefully be completed before 2016. I've got some other projects in the works, including an original story, but this one is on the front burner right now. Unfortunately, also on the front burner is school work.

Hope you enjoyed Part 1 of 8.

Don't forget to speak up,

The People Speak - Nicole


	2. Second: Rose Garden

**Part 2: Rose Garden**

* * *

 _Screaming, crying, perfect storms_

 _I could make all the tables turn_

 _Rose garden filled with thorns_

 _Keep you second guessing like oh my god_

 _Who is she?_

\- Blank Space, Taylor Swift

* * *

Len Town slowly appeared on the horizon as May traveled the distance between it and Azalea Town. The town was small and picturesque. The largest buildings, May observed, were the contest hall and the Pokémon Center. It looked a lot like what she had seen in the guidebook. There were quite a few people wandering the streets as she strolled towards the Pokémon Center and it could have been presumed, correctly, that many of them were coordinators looking to enter the first contest of the Johto season.

The glass doors of the center slid open and May walked in. A couple of coordinators were lounging around inside the center too, grooming Pokémon in preparation for the contest. It was surprising to see coordinators four days early for a contest, but considering that is was the first of the circuit that year it was understandable. Nurse Joy wasn't behind her desk, but there was a small service bell on top of the counter. May gently pushed it.

Nurse Joy popped her head out of the back room where she was presumably treating some Pokémon. "Hi dear," she greeted pleasantly. "What can I do for you?" Her Chansey toddled out of the room after her, looking cheerful as usual.

"I'd like to register for the contest," May said and reached for her trainer card.

Nurse Joy frowned. "I'm so sorry but registration filled up yesterday afternoon. I'm afraid that the contest is already full."

May felt something in her stomach drop. The first contest of the season and she was already too late. Shaking off the ominous feeling in her gut, she asked a different question. "Is there a café nearby that you'd recommend? If I can't enter the contest here, might as well plan my next route."

"Of course," Nurse Joy replied. "Abra Beans just down the street is a wonderful little place to go."

"Thank you," May said pleasantly, refusing to let her dissatisfaction show. She left the Pokémon Center then, headed for the tiny café.

It had an awning outside but all the cute café tables were filled up, so May went inside. In one of the tables on the left side of the coffee shop was a familiar face. Solidad was sipping a cup of coffee calmly while flipped through a manual. May approached the older coordinator, a smile on her face.

"Hi Solidad!" May greeted.

"May!" Solidad exclaimed, putting down her cup and letting her book fall shut. She stood and embraced the brunette. May hugged her back, her friend's pink hair tickling her face. "Welcome to Johto!"

May laughed and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, something like that."

Solidad gave May a quick once over before beckoning her to sit down. "It's funny to see you here now of all times. I actually just had lunch with Drew. You barely missed him. He's off to do some more training for the contest." Pausing briefly, Solidad waved over a waiter.

May ordered a mocha with a pump of hazelnut. She was curious to try out Drew's twist on her classic order again. When it arrived, she took a tentative sip and found it was still really good. She mentally filed the information away for further use.

"Are you entering the contest here May? I could presume that's why you're here." Solidad asked, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Ah," May frowned, "actually I'm not. I came here because I was planning on looking for the best route to the next contest in Cherrygrove City."

Solidad raised an eyebrow. "Why would you not enter the contest if you're all the way out in Len Town anyways?"

May rubbed her hands together in a nervous fashion. "The contest is filled up," she replied, slightly irritated.

Solidad frowned. "That's a major bummer. I'm so sorry May."

May shrugged and took another sip. "I guess I just move on to Cherrygrove." She paused, contemplating, before adding, "I left Munchlax back in Petalburg with my family so I'm also looking to fill that sixth spot on my team."

"Actually May, I think it would be more beneficial if you stuck around to watch the contest even if you're not going to participate in it. It might give you an idea of some rivals to watch out for this season. I also think that both Drew and I would be glad for your support if you did stay to cheer us on."

May's cheeks flushed at the mention of her rival again. His scarf was still tucked away in her bag. "I don't know Solidad, Drew and I aren't that close."

Solidad smirked at her, leaning forwards. "Well, I've had several long conversations with the guy and I think that he holds you in a position with a lot more respect than you realize. Besides the amount of time you guys spend arguing or battling each other has enabled you to know each other better than you think."

"You think he actually thinks of me as a friend?" May asked, genuinely surprised. She had thought of Drew as her friend since Kanto, but wasn't quite sure that the sentiment was returned.

Solidad laughed. "Of course he does May. You two are rivals and you compliment each other in such a unique way that I'd bet my Lapras against Harley's Wigglytuff if you weren't friends."

May wasn't quite sure of the truth behind her statement. Drew was an enigma, one that May could never seem to figure out. "If you say so." May said finally, not willing to discuss her and Drew's friendly rivalry further with a mutual friend.

Solidad flipped open her book again. "I think I've made my case as to why you should stick around. Have I convinced you? It really would mean something to both of us if you stuck around."

May sighed and admitted defeat. "Alright. I'll stick around until the contest is over, but then I'm off to Cherrygrove."

Solidad smiled. "That's great May! Besides, not many of the coordinators here who participate will head to Cherrygrove. They're all going to want to do some special training before they appear in any more contests." She smiled a little slyly. "You know May, Drew is out training right now. Even though you're not entering the contest, I'm sure a practice battle between the two of you would be a great warm up for the season."

May blushed. "Solidad, why do I get the feeling you keep trying to get Drew and I in the same room?"

Solidad just shrugged. "No idea Miss Maple. Now run along, I can't imagine Drew will train around the contest hall for much longer."

Against her brain's will, May's hand dropped a few Yen on the table and her feet moved her towards the door. She said goodbye to Solidad and finally regained full control of her body. Instead of booking it back to the Pokécentre, she decided that maybe Solidad was right. Perhaps a practice battle against Drew would keep her sharp. Although she'd promised Solidad she would stick around, it wasn't a complete plan in May's head. The empty sixth spot in her party was eating her alive.

She wandered aimlessly through Len Town, hoping her feet would carry her towards the contest hall. It wasn't too hard to find to be frank. The beautiful hall was surrounded by sprawling gardens. May found herself drawn to the rose gardens to the East of the building. As she studied some of the buds and flowers on the bushes, one of her Pokéballs burst open. Her Beautifly appeared and landed on May's head. May couldn't find it in her to return the playful Pokémon so she let it flutter from bush to bush in front of her.

When she rounded a corner in the garden, there was a familiar Masquerain floating around a small fountain. To her left was a small hedge maze, if it even qualified as one, and a grass training field. May watched in curiosity as Beautifly and the Masquerain began circling each other, flapping their beautiful wings to what appeared to be a rhythm.

"Masquerain?" A familiar voice called out, searching for the aforementioned Pokémon. May suddenly realized why the Masquerain was so familiar. Drew appeared from around a corner in the hedge maze and noticed May.

"Hey May. You finally caught up did you?"

May folded her arms sternly. "Haha Drew Hayden, you're so funny."

Drew shrugged. "Hey, I wasn't joking. It's good to see you."

May was a little taken aback by the friendliness of his tone. "It's good to see you too?" She squeaked out lamely in reply.

Drew laughed. "Come on May, it was a genuine remark. You don't have to act like I never say anything nice to you. Are you here to train for the contest too?"

Before May could answer his question, Masquerain and Beautifly began flying towards the West side of the gardens, leaving their trainers behind. Drew shook his head fondly and beckoned for May as he walked after the butterfly Pokémon. When May fell into step with him, he prodded her again politely for an answer.

"Actually the contest is full. I'm kind of just exploring at this point. I haven't decided if I'm going to stick around to see the contest. Solidad said I should."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "I knew there were a lot of coordinators here for the first contest, but I never realized that the contest would fill up so fast. I'm sorry you can't enter. I actually had lunch with Solidad earlier. It's quite the coincidence that you met up with her accidentally and then we met also accidentally." By the tone of his voice, May knew that Drew thought it was more than just a coincidence. He kept talking. "I do agree with Solidad though. You should stick around to watch the contest. It'll give you a good handle on some different unique styles since you're looking to develop your own. You'll also get to scout out some early season competition. As a bonus, it would mean something to me if you cheered me on."

May noticed that he had completely left Solidad out of his last statement whereas the Kanto coordinator had been completely sure to include Drew into the conversation wherever possible. "Well if the Prince of Hoenn demands it, I guess I'd better stick around and watch the contest."

Drew's ears tinged pink at the mention of the nickname. "That's good news Princess." Now it was May's turn to flush pink. He continued, "Would you like to have a practice battle? It will keep us both sharp."

"Alright," May agreed, "one on one."

Drew smirked. "You're on Maple. Shall we do Beautifly versus Masquerain?"

May nodded and turned to call Beautifly to her side, only to notice that both butterfly Pokémon had disappeared when she and Drew had been talking. "Where did they go?" She grumbled in annoyance.

Drew just shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. They'll be back. How about Roselia versus Blaziken then?"

May agreed and they migrated back towards the grass training field. They both sent out their starters and the battle commenced. Blaziken recognized his opponent instantly and Drew's Roselia appeared to do the same. The tension spiked. These Pokémon were as much rivals as May and Drew were.

"Start with Blaze Kick Blaziken!" May called out. Her Pokémon wreathed its foot in fire and struck towards the smaller Pokémon.

Drew had the perfect counter strategy. "Use Petal Dance to form a shield." He ordered. Roselia's Petal Dance blossomed around her and it looked like she had hidden inside a giant rose bud. It was a beautiful defense. Blaze Kick incinerated the outer petals creating an ashy and yet sparkly air. It was a move that would have lost May points since Drew's defensive attack wreathed his Pokémon in beautiful albeit burning petals. Roselia's whole body was glowing after the flower bud defense broke.

Before May could call another attack, Roselia was on the move. "Use Stun Spore Roselia! Get in close!" Drew directed. Roselia swooped towards Blaziken, her roses extended, releasing a cloud of orange gas that paralyzed May's Pokémon.

Roselia was too close to Blaziken now. Even though he was paralyzed, there was still something May could do. "Knock it back with Overheat!" He used Overheat and Roselia was forced on the hasty retreat, lest she get seriously burned.

"Release the Solar Beam!" Drew yelled, a smirk played across his features.

May's fists clenched. The attack connected with the paralyzed Blaziken. It was powerful. Roselia had charged it while hidden in the rose bud. Blaziken was almost done, May could see that much. Even though grass type moves weren't super effective, but the combination of his attacks along with Stun Spore was hitting hard right on target. "Mega Kick!"

Drew seemed surprised that May went with a physical attack despite the paralysis. Fortunately for May, Blaziken's paralysis had faded enough for the attack to connect. Roselia was knocked flying and just barely got up. If Drew was going to launch a counter attack, it would be here while both Pokémon were struggling.

It seemed he had one that did just the trick. Roselia launched a final attack. A Sludge Bomb that caught May completely off-guard finally took out Blaziken. May returned her exhausted starter after a hard fought battle. Drew thanked his Roselia. Before he returned her, the little Pokémon wandered over to May and conjured a perfect and thornless red rose. May bent over and took it with a smile, her fingers brushing softly against the velvety petals.

Drew then recalled Roselia and crossed the pitch and offered May a handshake. "That was the most entertaining battle I've had since we last saw each other in Kanto. Blaziken's Mega Kick almost had us."

May shook his hand firmly. "Thanks Drew. I hope it helped keep you warm for the contest."

He smiled at her, a genuine and real smile. May noticed that he had slightly dimples in his cheeks. Standing where they were, May suddenly remembered that she had something for him. She picked up her bag from where she'd put it down during the battle and pulled out two things. The first thing she handed to him was his scarf that he'd lent her in Olivine.

Drew raised an eyebrow at her. "May, it was a gift. You're supposed to keep it." He pushed the hand holding the scarf towards her.

May tentatively retracted her hand and put the scarf back in her bag. She then pulled out the second thing she had to give to Drew. It was something that he'd wanted to find for a while and May knew it. She had spoken to Ash about it because she felt like this was something that she could do in return for Drew.

She held out the shiny stone to him. Drew froze. "May, what is this?"

"A shiny stone. I think Roselia has waited long enough."

He gently took the stone. "I've been looking for one of these for forever. They're impossible to find anywhere but Sinnoh and Unova. How did you get one?"

May shrugged. "I had Ash send me one over. I know I missed your birthday a couple of months ago and I figured I owed you something. Besides, I've wanted to battle a Roserade and I couldn't think of a person better than you to have one."

His face tightened briefly at the mention of Ash, but it relaxed when she explained that it was a late birthday gift. "I never realized you remembered my birthday."

May raised an eyebrow. "Really Drew? We're friends, of course I know your birthday."

He gave her a half smile as he finally took the shiny stone from her outstretched hand. Their fingers brushed as he did so and May felt a tiny jolt travel down her spine. Their eyes connected with a spark. At that moment, Beautifly and Masquerain made their return. May noticed that somehow her Pokémon was holding a yellow rose.

Drew pulled out a Pokéball and returned Masquerain. He pocketed it and the shiny stone. "Thanks again for the battle May and of course, for the stone as well. I'll see you around at the contest." He turned and walked towards the exit of the gardens, giving her his signature two-fingered wave as he did so.

May's Beautifly landed on her head, dropping the yellow rose down into May's curled arm. She compared the two flowers. The yellow one, presumably from the garden was beautiful, but the stem had a fair amount of thorns, as any rose should. The petals were soft, but somehow they didn't seem soft enough. Suddenly, May realized that she had compared it to the perfection of the roses that Drew always gave her. His were always perfectly flawless. She touched the petals of the red rose again and felt a smile cross her face. They really were friends and maybe he really did care.

* * *

Three days later May was seated in the top row of the contest hall, her eyes trained intently on the stage. She had seen some decent competition up to the finals, but Drew and Solidad had kind of blown through everyone. Now they were facing each other in the finals of the contest and May wasn't really sure who to cheer for. They were both her friends and she hated to chose between them. She decided to strategically be neutral.

Solidad called out her Pidgeot and May watched Drew carefully. He had not used Roselia through the whole tournament and she was curious if he would use her now. To her delight, he sent out his starter. May was a little surprised that he had not evolved her, but perhaps he was waiting until after the contest.

It was an intense battle, but several of Drew's moves, like his Petal Dance shield cost Solidad some serious points. Sludge Bomb also caught Solidad by surprise. Apparently the attack was a surprise to her too. With Pidgeot poisoned, Drew pulled ahead and pulled out the victory as the time ran out.

May didn't stay to watch Drew be presented with the ribbon. Instead, she headed for backstage. Solidad was packing up when May caught up with her. "Hey Solidad!" She called out.

The older coordinator noticed May and smiled. "Drew is really a force to be reckoned with this season. His Roselia has improved a lot."

May bit her lip. "Solidad, I gave Drew a shiny stone for a late birthday present a couple of days ago. Is there a reason that you think he didn't evolve Roselia?"

Solidad smiled. "I think they were trying to prove to you, me and the entire audience that they are strong enough without evolution. But, I guarantee that since we both know about his Sludge Bomb trick, she'll be evolved next time you face off. I've got to get going now. I promised I'd call home to Pewter. Drew will be here in a few minutes if you're going to talk to him."

May nodded slowly and bid her friend goodbye. True to Solidad's word, Drew arrived back from the winner's stage several minutes later. He seemed surprised to see May, but smiled at her non-the less.

"Miss Maple."

"Drew," she replied, her heart racing a little.

"You did stick around to see the contest after all."

May frowned. "You doubted me?"

Drew shrugged. "You're unpredictable." He stepped in closer to her personal space and brushed a strand of hair out of her face affectionately. May felt all the blood in her body rush to her face and her palms grew a little sweaty. Drew didn't seem to notice her awkwardness, but he did step away and throw her another smile. "See you around May."

He tossed her another flawless rose and made his exit, leaving May behind, her heart still pounding. She sat down on a bench and put her head in her hands.

"What's wrong with me?" She grumbled, her face still warm.

* * *

Author's Note: Welcome back to Sand! How I love contestshipping! It's always been a headcanon of mine that May gave Drew the shiny stone he needed to evolve his Roselia into a Roserade. Roserade is conveniently one of my favourite Pokémon and it made a nasty sweeper on my Black 2 team. This is part 2 of 8 completed. The cliché from this chapter was a rose garden and Drew's perfect roses. I'm still super busy so this is probably the last update of the month, but there will definitely be more in November.

Hope you enjoyed Part 2 of 8.

Don't forget to speak up,

The People Speak - Nicole


	3. Third: Been Losing Grip

**Part 3: Been Losing Grip**

* * *

 _In silent screams,_

 _In wildest dreams_

 _I never dreamed of this_

 _..._

 _Been losing grip_

 _Oh sinking ships_

 _You showed up just in time_

\- This Love, Taylor Swift

* * *

The cheers of the stadium were deafening. May waved to the crowds as she took her position in the trainer's box at one side of the field. Her palms were sweaty, but she gave a cool smile, as so to not give away her nervousness. Her fingers drummed over the surface of the Pokéball that she'd chosen. She had a plan and she wasn't going to fail this time. Her chest panged at the thought.

No, she couldn't lose this one.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the first match of the semi-finals in the Silver Rock contest here on Silver Rock Isle in the beautiful Whirl Islands. In the red is May Maple of Petalburg City in Hoenn! In the green is Lucy Pensive of New Bark Town in Johto! Coordinators, call out your Pokémon!" Lillian called, spinning elegantly.

May kissed the Pokéball. "Venusaur! Take the stage!" She threw the Pokéball out and her massive grass type hit the stage with a roar, causing a roar to echo from the crowd. Her opponent smiled seeing the grass type and called her own Pokéball. May was faced with a shiny coated, young looking Quilava.

"Five minutes on the clock, starting, now!" Lillian pointed to the stage.

"Start with toxic Venusaur!" May called out.

The attack was a devastating one and May loved opening battles with it to easily dock some points. What she hadn't anticipated was her opponent using Quilava's higher speed to dodge the attack completely and use Smokescreen, causing May herself to lose points and to lose sight of the Quilava. Her fists balled up and she called for a Petal Dance.

The flower petals tore through the smoke and spun elegantly through the air, clearing the stage and docking some of Lucy's points. Her opponent grit her teeth as her disguise was torn away and Quilava was left out in the open. Just before May could call out her next attack, Lucy struck first.

"Quilava use Lava Plume around yourself!" Lucy called out, thrusting a fist towards the stage. The ground around the Pokémon erupted with lava and flames. Quilava was luminous and didn't appear fazed in the slightest. "Now use Agility and then Flame Wheel!"

The combination was stunningly beautiful. Quilava burst through the eruption, coated in flames from Flame Wheel, moving at crazy speeds thanks to its Agility. The Volcano Pokémon tore around and ran circles around Venusaur, the flames spreading into a halo that surrounded the grass type in fire, severely knocking May's points.

"Use Frenzy Plant Venusaur, snuff out those flames!" May called nervously, trying not to let her desperation show in her tone.

The plants extended wildly, putting out the fires with firm hisses of smoke. However, the attack did not make contact with Quilava so because of this, both coordinators lost points. Lucy called a Lava Plume again, and this time it connected with Venusaur and May could tell her faithful Pokémon had been left with a burn. Her shoulders tightened in tension. Before she could call another attack, Lucy played her trump card.

"Swift and Flamethrower!" The two attacks swirled around each other, the stars being dyed red and glowing with heat.

May watched in horror as the combination hit dead on and Venusaur fell back, unconscious. She blinked back tears of disappointment and frustration as she returned her. She pocketed the Pokéball and looked across the stage to see the excitement that Lucy and her Quilava celebrated with. A jealous pang struck May's chest. She forced herself to walk across the stage to shake her opponent's hand, admitting defeat.

* * *

An hour later, after the conclusion of the contest, May found herself in a restaurant near the Pokémon centre. The way it turned out, Lucy had ended up losing the finals of the contest to a boy and his Machamp. May's soup and water glass both lay untouched on the table before her, as they had for nearly twenty minutes. She was almost positive that the soup was cold, but she couldn't bring herself to eat it.

May constantly felt the reminders of her last four contests. Though she had been decent in her first two Johto contests and won two ribbons, she hadn't been doing well since. Her third ribbon came through when both Ivysaur and Wartortle both evolved in the same contest to save her from ruin. The next three were disasters. Wartortle's appeal went wrong in the first contest when he ended up taking damage from his own combination, knocking her out before the battles. In the second one, Eevee was hopelessly outmatched against a Hitmonchan who had some incredibly super effective moves that the Evolution Pokémon couldn't counter. Then there was today's debacle.

May had come to Johto to figure out her own style for coordinating, but she began to wonder if it was really the right choice. She didn't really feel like herself and she certainly wasn't performing like it. Maybe she didn't have her own style and maybe it would cost her a trip to the Grand Festival if she couldn't find it in time. With that depressing thought in mind, she took a sip of water and let out a sigh.

The chair across from her pulled out suddenly and the legs scratched across the wooden floor. May's eyes snapped upwards in surprise and she was startled to see Drew across from her. He nodded to her. "Hello May."

May swallowed almost painfully at gaped at her rival. "What are you doing here? You didn't compete in the contest, and there are no other contests in the Whirl Islands coming up." Drew, May knew, had entered exactly five Johto contests and had won four of them. The only one he lost had been to Solidad. Following Solidad's predictions, May had noticed that Drew had evolved his Roselia into a Roserade by the next time he faced Solidad. "Are you here to do some training?" May inquired when Drew responded with silence.

"Actually," he mused, "I was here to see you compete."

May felt pink to the soles of her shoes. "So you saw that today? I got beaten pretty badly."

Drew shrugged. "You're in a rut, so what. I have noticed you struggling lately and I think I know why. I'm here to offer you some advice if you'd hear it."

May bit her lip. The last time a coordinator offered her serious advice on performing, Harley had told her to use Assist for an entire appeal and she had almost failed. However, every bone in her body was telling her that Drew wouldn't screw her over and that his advice would actually be very helpful. "Ok," she said tentatively.

Drew reached into his bag and pulled out a brochure. He set it on the table between them. "This is for the Wallace Cup. This year's Wallace Cup is set to be held at Lake Valor in Sinnoh."

May peered at it curiously. "Are you going to enter?"

Drew shook his head. "I brought it for you. The ribbon won in the Wallace Cup can be used in any region of competition. Also, your friends Ash and Brock are in Sinnoh right now aren't they? I figured this would be a good way for you to break out of your slump. Seeing your friends will help as will the change of scenery. In Sinnoh, all contests are Super Contests so it will be an interesting change in developing your style." His Wallace Cup pitch presented, Drew leaned back in his chair and studied May.

May was carefully glancing at the brochure. Finally, she gave in and picked it up off the table, making her decision. "I wonder what the weather is like in Sinnoh right now?"

A smile graced Drew's face. He caught May's eye and cleared his throat. "Also, if you'd be willing to accept some more honest advice, I've got one more thing that I think will help."

May nodded slowly. "Let's hear it," she said.

"I think you should switch up your team. It's a good way to change your style. Blaziken and Beautifly should definitely stay; they are staples to your contest team. I'd also recommend keeping Wartortle. He has potential and so does your Skitty back in Hoenn. I think that if you evolved Skitty and mixed up her moveset, she could become a lot stronger. Eevee is also a very unique Pokémon and evolving it could bring a new flare to your team. You should pick an evolution that both you and him agree on." Drew paused as to ensure that May was still listening and noticed her thoughtful look. She was taking his advice to heart.

"Whichever evolution you pick, I would say don't pick Vaporeon, Jolteon or Flareon because they are the most common," he continued. "As shown by her performance today, Venusaur is a powerful Pokémon, but it isn't the best suited for contests and neither is your Munchlax. They are fine if you want a bit more pack to their punch, but their slow speed and larger size are a disadvantage against faster opponents like the Quilava you faced today."

May pulled out Venusaur's Pokéball as Drew was talking and studied the seal, running a fingernail along it lightly. "I don't want to end, or at least pause, Venusaur's coordinating days on such a sour note."

Drew nodded, understanding. "Bring her to Sinnoh then. Actually, that's a good idea. You should bring Blaziken, Eevee, Beautifly, Wartortle, Venusaur and Munchlax to Sinnoh. If you decide that I'm wrong and you want to keep Venusaur and Munchlax, then by all means, go ahead."

May took another sip of water as Drew waved over a waiter and order another glass. "You've actually really helped Drew. Thank you."

He smirked at her. "So you do admit that I'm superior to you?"

May wrinkled her nose. "Ugh you stupid prissy boy, that's not what I meant."

Drew chuckled and May felt her cheeks flush. May took a bite of her soup and found that it was cold. She ate it anyways, refusing to look at her rival. Throughout the rest of her meal, she could feel his green eyes tracing her, studying and evaluating. After she finished, she paid and they both stood up.

As they walked out, Drew looked like he was about to head in the opposite direction of the Pokémon centre. "Drew?" May asked. He glanced at her. "Would you mind coming back to the centre with me? I want to do some research into Eevee evolutions and I need to phone Ash to let him know I'm coming."

Drew shrugged. "I'm in no hurry to get anywhere. I'm sure I can spare you some time."

May smiled. "Thank you so much Drew!" She looped her arm through his and dragged him back towards the Pokémon centre, ignoring the pink that dusted both of their cheeks at the action.

* * *

Back at the Pokémon centre, May went to the videophones and placed a call to Sinnoh. Drew busied himself at a computer, pulling up information on Leafeon and Glaceon, the Sinnoh exclusive Eevee evolutions. A few minutes later, after finishing a short call with Ash, May walked over and squeezed next to Drew, looking at the webpage that he had pulled up. Noticing that May was studying the picture of Glaceon, Drew opened a new page with information on the Ice Cave.

"This is where you can find the Ice Rock that Eevee can evolve into Glaceon with." Drew said, pointing out the location on the map that appeared in the corner of the article. "It's near Snowpoint City in Sinnoh."

May cast him a sideways glance. "How'd you know I was thinking of Glaceon?"

Drew shrugged. "You don't have an ice-type on your team and I saw you looking at the picture on the other site."

May felt a heat blossom in her cheeks and she cursed herself inwardly. She pulled out the brochure for the Wallace Cup and flipped to the map of Sinnoh. She marked the Ice Cave's location on the map. She then noted that she would take a boat from Olivine to Sunnyshore City and then from Sunnyshore City to Snowpoint City. Drew glanced at her map with a small half-smile.

May took one final look at the map before taking a quick glance over the rest of the brochure. The included pictures of Lake Valor were very beautiful and May marveled at the beautiful scenery. There was an included picture of Wallace and his Milotic and May felt a surge of wistfulness just looking at the coordinating master and his Pokémon. Next to the picture of Wallace was a picture of a female coordinator performing in a long green dress against a male coordinator performing in a suit. May's mind blanked. She had completely forgotten it was a Super Contest. That meant she needed a costume.

"Drew, do you know any clothing boutiques on Silver Rock?" May asked, almost panicked.

"No," he replied, "why?"

May groaned and rubbed her temples. "It's a Super Contest. I need a dress. Can you please come with me while I go look for something? I'm sure there's a cute boutique around here somewhere."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want me there with you? I'm a guy May."

May gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "I really need a second opinion and Solidad isn't around. Plus, you're a coordinator, you have an eye for beautiful things."

Drew sighed, "Can't you just phone Solidad?"

May laughed. "Come on Drew please? I promise I won't be too long." She batted her eyelashes at him.

The tips of his ears turned pink, but he gave in. "Fine." He glanced at his watch. "It's three now and there's a ferry out of here that we should both be on at five thirty."

May hugged him before saluting him mockingly. "Yessir," she stated in her most soldier-like voice. She pulled Drew to his feet and out the door of the Pokémon centre. The streets were decently busy after the contest, but thankfully there were no obsessive fans for either coordinator around.

After several minutes of aimless wandering around, May spotted a boutique that she deemed cute. They went inside and May went to work, picking out a bunch of different possibilities. Drew just aimlessly flipped through dress shirts, disinterested. Several minutes later, May walked over her arms full of dresses.

"Can you come watch me try these on? I want to make sure that I pick the perfect one?" May asked, almost nervously.

Drew shrugged and found a seat on a sofa outside the fitting room. May dumped her armload of dresses into a change room and she quickly changed into the first one. It was a tight green dress that she could barely move in. She quickly discarded it. Next was a yellow dress that grazed the ground. It was comfortable and very elegant, but the length worried her. Yellow also just wasn't her colour. It made her look washed out.

Sighing, May moved on to the next dress. This one was red. It had a halter-top and a cinched waist but it fell elegantly to her knees. It was quite a bit like the blue dress she'd bought in Olivine. That dress she could wear in Sinnoh, but it was a bit dressy and she was saving it for the perfect occasion. She did however, like the red dress quite a bit. Her arm was twisted at an odd angle as she tried to push the zipper all the way to the top of the track. She just couldn't seem to get it. Cursing under her breath, May sighed and dropped her hand.

"May?" Drew inquired, walking towards the change room. "Are you alright?"

May felt her cheeks flush a little. Why did this keep happening around Drew? "I can't quite get this zipper done up all the way. Could you help me?"

"Yeah, if you come out." He replied.

May opened the door and stepped out. Drew's lips twitched up seeing her in the beautiful red dress. She turned for him to do up the zipper fully. His hands gently brushed her hair off her back and over her shoulder and he slid the zipper smoothly up to the top. May then quickly stepped apart from him, the close proximity making her nervous. They both studied her reflection in the mirror.

"I like this one." May mused, spinning a little.

Drew studied her for a moment. "It looks beautiful." He said suavely. "I'm not sure it's the best for coordinating though. It's certainly nice though. You look beautiful."

May ducked her head shyly at the compliment. She ran her hands over the body of the dress and found herself agreeing with her rival. It was a beautiful dress, but the way it was cut was a little awkward for coordinating. "I told you that you had a good opinion." May said a little smugly. Drew rolled his eyes and stepped behind her. "What are you doing?" She asked, almost nervously.

"You need me to unzip it too right?" He asked a little incredulously.

"Right," May chuckled nervously as she swept her hair back over her shoulder. This time Drew's knuckle brushed the bare skin of May's back as he pulled down the zipper and May felt almost an electric spark. After an inch or two, May could reach it and ducked back into the changing room, her face burning.

She slumped against the door and rubbed her temples. "Get it together May Maple. He's your rival," she whispered to herself.

She changed out of the dress and into the next one. It was a long pink skirt paired with a cropped orange top. It was loose and free fitting. It made her feel girly and yet not exposed and pretty but not over the top. She also clipped on a small pink veil thing that came with it, smoothing her hair out underneath it. She spun a little in the small room before she was satisfied.

Emerging, May put her hands on her hips and smiled. "What do you think of this one?"

Drew nodded approvingly. "It's certainly a good choice for coordinating."

"I agree. It's also really comfortable."

"Comfort is good. It makes you feel at home on the stage and it lets you give a better performance." Drew advised. "Besides, it's more you than the last one was." May cast him a suspicious glance and Drew rolled his eyes. "You still look beautiful." He added afterwards.

May smiled sweetly, the compliment again making her flustered. "Then this one it is. Thanks for all your help Drew!" She hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck before she quite realized what she was doing.

They broke apart quickly and May changed back into her traveling clothes and purchased the outfit. The two coordinators caught the ferry from Silver Rock Isle to Olivine together, but didn't see much of each other for a while.

Right before May was due to board her ferry for Sinnoh, a young boy approached her, holding a note and a red rose. He handed her both and scurried away. May didn't have time to read the letter until she was on the ferry. She went up to the deck and glanced towards the lighthouse. There was a familiar face leaning against the railing, facing the ocean. May waved her hand in greeting and he lifted his in return. The note was, naturally, from Drew. He was wishing her luck in the Wallace Cup. The rose was apparently the first rose that Roserade had made in her new form and had insisted on it going to May. May cradled the bloom gratefully and inhaled its sweet scent.

"Thanks Drew," she murmured. "This one is for both of us."

* * *

*slowly crawls out of pile of unfinished chapters and stories along with school work* MERRY (early) CHRISTMAS! TAKE MY CONTESTSHIPPING TRASH! I'M SO SORRY! IT TOOK TOO LONG! *slowly crawls back into pile of broken dreams*

\- Nicole


	4. Fourth: Brand New Dress

**Part 4: Brand New Dress**

* * *

 _Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress_

 _We had this big wide city all to ourselves_

 _We blocked the noise with the sound of 'I need you'_

 _And for the first time I had something to lose_

\- Holy Ground, Taylor Swift

* * *

The bell tolled and May's heart stopped. Her eyes flashed up to the scoreboard. She was nervous. The Wallace Cup was her fresh start, her new beginning. Glaceon was exhausted, panting and barely standing. May's heart swelled with pride for her newly evolved Pokémon. He had fought long and hard against Piplup and the battle had been breath-takingly beautiful. In that moment, May felt her heart beating in time with her Pokémon's. They were as one.

In the split second before the score was revealed, May caught Dawn's eye. Both coordinators smiled and seemed to agree silently that no matter whom the victor was there would be no hard feelings. They had both been in a bit of a funk, and the Wallace Cup, more specifically the final battle, had set pulled them free. May took solace in the fact that Dawn looked as nervous as she felt.

After what felt like an eternity, the score was revealed. Dawn was declared the winner by a hair. Dawn doubled over in shock, her hands flying to her mouth. She hugged Piplup tightly, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes. May felt her posture crumple. She had lost. Something heavy in her stomach sunk and she felt sick. It had been an incredible battle between two talented coordinators.

While it could have gone either way, May felt defeated. She had lost to Dawn. Dawn, a first year coordinator, had beaten her, and it hurt. Glaceon slunk over to May, sadly. May pulled the Pokémon into a warm embrace. "You battled excellently. I'm so, so proud of you." She felt tears of both happiness and sadness tickle her eyes. "You deserve a good long rest now. Return." She recalled the ice type and kissed his Pokéball. She brushed her hair out of her face and stood up. She smiled brilliantly at Dawn, forcing herself to be happy for her fellow coordinator.

They shook hands and over the roar of the crowd, May thanked Dawn for the incredible battle and congratulated her on her win. Dawn was still shocked but she was obviously overjoyed. Dawn was in shock all the way through the presentation of the Aqua Ribbon. May smiled and waved when she was addressed as the runner up. She stood side-by-side with Dawn throughout closing ceremonies.

The day's exhaustion had caught up to her by the time she left the stage. A reporter tried to stop her to ask her some questions, but May waved her off with a smile and a lame excuse that the reporter reluctantly accepted. She did, however, supply the information that she was headed back to Johto as soon as possible.

Upon reaching her room, she all but flopped onto her bed. She was incredibly proud of each and every one of her Pokémon and yet she was still disappointed. Her Pokégear was full of messages from friends, family and past competition that were congratulating her on second place in the Wallace Cup. Max's message in particular simply told her to call him and that he was really proud of her.

May smiled at her brother's message. She dialed his number in, ready to hear a familiar voice, when her Pokégear chimed with another message. Drew had messaged her. Forgetting momentarily about calling Max, she opened his message. He had congratulated her on a job well done.

May wondered if he was kidding. He's Drew Hayden; he would have won the Wallace Cup. He couldn't be congratulating her on second place. She sent him a confused message in reply asking if he realized that she'd lost. Moments later, her gear was ringing.

She answered it, startled. "Hello?"

"The congratulations wasn't on second place," he said firmly. "There was something different about the person that took the stage in that contest May, whether you realize it or not."

"Drew?" She questioned.

He ignored her. "Think about it May. You were different in Sinnoh than you were in Johto."

May paused. She ran over her tactics for the Wallace Cup in her head. She had focused more on showcasing her Pokémon's beauty and on having a balanced defense and offense. It was different from her all or nothing style in Johto. "What are you saying Drew?" She asked quietly.

"You found your style. You went to Sinnoh looking for it and you found it."

May let that thought sink in. Coordinating in Sinnoh had been different. That feeling of being one with her Pokémon was something she hadn't felt since the Kanto Grand Festival when she became one with Blaziken to defeat Drew himself. "I-" she stammered. May inhaled deeply and smiled. This time it wasn't a fake smile like the one that she had been wearing since she lost to Dawn. It was real. "I did. I'm ready to be better Drew. And it's all thanks to you."

May heard Drew laugh. "You're giving me too much credit Maple. You have got to think about your Pokémon and about yourself too."

She fell back onto her bed, keeping her Pokégear at her ear. "I'll be back in Olivine tomorrow. Not early or anything, it'll be in the late afternoon."

"I'll be there. Goodnight May. Again, congratulations." He replied firmly.

May was startled, but before she could protest anything, Drew had ended the call. She was mystified. Had he waited for her in Olivine the entire time she had been gone? If he hadn't, would he really come all the way back just to receive her? She curled her fingers into the bedspread and smiled. He was an amazing person, even if he had been arrogant and rude when they were younger. Age had done good things to both of them.

* * *

May felt like her arm was going to fall off. She leaned against the railing and lifted it higher into the air, waving frantically. Ash jumped up and down on the pier, getting progressively smaller and smaller. The breeze smelled like salt and May watched until she couldn't see her friends anymore. Dawn, Zoey, Brock, and Ash had all come down to the docks to see her off. She had promises to rebattle Zoey and Dawn another time. She had also exchanged numbers with both girls.

May finally backed away from the railing when Lake Valor was just a speck in the distance. She glanced up at Beautifly who had been hovering around her head. "Time to plan our return Beautifly." The Pokémon tittered excitedly and landed on May's head, her colourful wings fluttering every so often in the breeze.

She returned the butterfly Pokémon and returned to her cabin. She called out Glaceon and pulled out a pad of paper. For around an hour, May sketched on the pad and drew out a couple new combinations for Glaceon. The ice type seemed excited at the prospect and May repeated the action for her other four Pokémon, designing two or three new appeals or combinations each. She had sent Venusaur and Munchlax to her mom. She did follow Drew's advice there. Venusaur and Munchlax both were not the best fits for contests. The Wallace Cup was a good way to end both of their careers. The sixth spot on her team was a nagging problem, but it wasn't as bad as it had been before leaving for Sinnoh.

With her combinations finished, she took out a map and set to work, planning her route to the next contest. Looking up some dates in the brochure she had received at the beginning of the season, May noticed there was a contest in Ecruteak City in just four days. She smiled and put an x over Ecruteak on her map. It was the perfect place to make her return to Johto contests. She then decided that it would be Glaceon's turn to do an appeal as her Johto debut.

She glanced briefly at the time on her Pokégear. It was nearing lunch, so she sent Skitty out with a small pouch of money to purchase her something to eat. Idly, she wondered if Drew would even be there to receive her. He had said he would and had given her no reason to wonder, but still she couldn't help it. Why would he wait for her?

* * *

She really shouldn't have doubted him. True to his word, he was there.

* * *

Four days later, May arrived in Ecruteak. Drew stuck around with her for a day, but announced that he had to depart to do some special training. He refused to divulge the reason to May, but it had been two days since they split up. May made her way to the Ecruteak Pokémon centre and began registering for the contest.

As Nurse Joy was scanning her contest pass, May felt a shadow fall over her. She glanced over her shoulder and her heart sunk. "Hi Harley," she greeted warily.

"Sugar Cookie!" He squealed, clapping his hands together. "It's so good to see you darling! I presume you're here for the contest! That makes both of us. Don't disappoint me okay? I want the pleasure of knocking you out myself." Harley smiled broadly at her, but May's wariness set in and her hackles rose.

"Yeah. I'll see you in the finals where I'm going to win." May said firmly.

Harley waved his hand at her. "That's so cute May dear. You did well in the Wallace Cup, Sol, Drewy and I were all watching on TV. It was almost a family reunion. Of course, you were missing." Harley tapped his chin in what appeared to be deep thought. "Although I suppose it's almost a family reunion now! I saw Drewsy-pop lurking around outside earlier!"

May raised an eyebrow. Drew's training was in Ecruteak? Nurse Joy handed her contest pass back and May thanked her. She said goodbye to Harley, probably a little too quickly, and went outside to look for Drew. She wandered out on to the lawn. An Absol bounded across the grass, dodging a Covet attack. It stopped in its tracks to glance at May.

Drew called out another attack from the Pokémon that was racing towards Absol. "Trump Card!" He ran alongside his Pokémon as the smaller Pokémon barreled into Absol with a huge amount of power.

Absol fell back, panting and Drew returned it. He seemed to notice May for the first time. May was still staring at Drew's new Pokémon. It was an Eevee. The little Pokémon took one look at May and ran and hid behind Drew's legs with startled squeak. May giggled at the shy attitude of the Pokémon.

"Well it appears you just can't stay away May, can you?" Drew asked, folding his arms.

May rolled her eyes. "You knew I was coming to Ecruteak to enter the contest here Drew." She reminded him.

He shrugged. "Yeah, maybe I did."

"Are you here to watch again?" May asked curiously.

He shook his head. "I'm actually in Ecruteak for this little fellow." He gestured to the Eevee hiding behind his legs. The Pokémon took a careful glance at May, but didn't come out of hiding. "Eevee, this is the nice lady with the pretty Glaceon." He coaxed. May almost melted at the soft husky tone of voice Drew used even if it wasn't directed at her.

Eevee shyly peeked out once again and this time it approached May tentatively. She crouched down and pulled out her Pokéblock dispenser. She clicked a few blocks of her sweet Pokéblock that Glaceon liked into her hand and held it out. Eevee took them quickly and after eating them, lightened up. He rubbed against May's leg affectionately. She brushed the top of his head before standing up again.

"So why are you in Ecruteak for Eevee? And how did you get an Eevee anyways?"

Drew returned Eevee and tucks his hands into his pockets suavely. "I did a favour for the daycare to the south of Goldenrod and they gave me an egg. The egg hatched into Eevee a week or so ago. Have you heard of the Kimono Girls? They put on shows here in their theatre in Ecruteak with all different kinds of Eevee evolutions. I thought it would be worth while to bring my new Eevee here to see it."

May nodded. "I'm going to be in the contest today." She said.

"I'll probably stop by to see your new style in action. Are you excited to battle Harley?"

May shrugged. "I'm almost nervous if I can be honest. I haven't actually battled you, Harley or Solidad in a contest yet this season."

Drew nodded. "I've beaten and lost to Solidad and beaten Harley once. I guess after today we'll get to see how you measure up. I'll catch you later Maple."

* * *

Glaceon's appeal was stunningly beautiful. His Ice Beam had turned the floor into a skating rink on which he skated elegantly. Ice Shard had created spinning blocks of ice that appeared to be like mirrors. May then commanded a Mirror Coat, giving off a beautiful, glowing light that bounced through the ice crystals and reflected in a beautiful light. She finished using Shadow Ball to destroy all the ice and create a rain of sparkles that showered Glaceon as he stood proudly. She had received the highest score of the contest.

Wartortle had won his way through the first two rounds of the contest, leaving May and Harley against each other in the finals. Harley called out his Wigglytuff, a dark gleam in his eye. May inhaled and tightened her grip on the Pokéball she had selected. This was redemption and she deserved every second of it.

"Skitty! Take the stage!" She tossed the ball out onto the field and her pink cat burst forth, landed with an adorable meow.

"Using that useless thing May, really?" Harley taunted.

May grit her teeth. "Useless? All right Skitty; let's show him how useless you are! Start with Double Team!" Skitty's Double Team created a circle of pink kittens. Wigglytuff glanced from Skitty to Skitty, trying to determine the real one. May smiled. "Use Blizzard and Double Slap! Make some snowballs!" As Skitty used Blizzard, the snow was packed together into sparkly snowballs that she juggled using Double Slap.

Harley's points dropped as the cute appeal caused the audience to coo and aw. He scowled. "Wigglytuff! Find the real Skitty! Use Disable!" Wigglytuff's eyes started glowing ominously.

May grimaced. "Attack now!" Skitty threw all her snowballs just before Disable came into effect and Double Team faded away. Wigglytuff was knocked back harshly by the snowballs as both coordinators lost a fifth of their points.

"Double Edge!" Harley yelled again.

"Skitty dodge it!" May cried desperately. The pink Pokémon barely dodged the attack. Wigglytuff flinched from the recoil damage. "Use Assist!" She called nervously.

Harley and the entire audience were shocked. May hadn't used Assist in a contest in a long time. Harley was furious. May was obviously attempting to show him up since he tried to get her eliminated from the Hoenn Grand Festival. Assist turned into Fire Spin and the gears in May's head quickly started spinning. Fire Spin had trapped Wigglytuff in a cyclone of fire, and now there was no way for either Wigglytuff or Skitty to attack. May was struck by a sudden idea.

"Use Blizzard to shield yourself and use Tackle!" May commanded, hoping her idea would work.

Skitty used Blizzard and jumped forwards, spinning. Blizzard formed an ice shield that broke through Fire Spin and then Skitty finished the job by hitting Wigglytuff with a reinforced Tackle. There was a plume of smoke and when it cleared Skitty was sitting on top of an unconscious Wigglytuff looking quite proud of itself.

May cried out in relief. Skitty ran to her and jumped into her arms. May laughed and swung her around, feeding it a piece of Pokéblock before returning it. Harley, baffled, returned his fainted Wigglytuff and bitterly shook May's hand before stomping off. May received her ribbon giddily. She had four now. While she was backstage packing up, Drew found her.

"That was a clever use of Blizzard." He complimented as he walked over.

May stopped packing up and turned to face him. "Thanks Drew." She pulled out her ribbon case and showed it to him. "I've got four now."

Drew pulled his out and showed May his five ribbons. "I'll meet you at the Grand Festival then." He nodded to her briefly and turned to leave, but paused. "Do you want to go see the Kimono Girls show tonight with me?"

May blinked like a deer in headlights. "Um, okay." She replied.

Drew chuckled at her expression. "Wear something nice." He advised and tossed her another flawless rose.

May touched the petals with a smile before freaking out internally at what had just happened. She grabbed her Pokégear and dialed Dawn's number. The three girls: Dawn, May and Zoey, had all gossiped one night about boys and May had spilled about some of her confusing feelings for Drew. Dawn said that she was welcome to phone about boy troubles anytime.

"May?" Dawn asked as soon as she answered. "What's up?"

May groaned. "I have no idea what to do. Drew just asked me to go see the Kimono Girls show with him and I said yes, but I have no idea what to think! Is it a date? Am I supposed to act couply? Is he flirting with me? Ugh! What do I do?"

Dawn laughed. "May, first of all you need to calm down. Second, where are you right now?"

May blinked. "I'm backstage at the contest hall. I just won the Ecruteak contest."

"Congrats on winning. You should probably head back to your room at the Pokécentre and stop freaking out."

May took a deep breath. "Yeah, thanks. Alright, but do you think Drew was asking me out on a date?" She left the contest hall and began the short walk back to her room.

Dawn mused on that for a moment. "I don't know May. From what you've told me about this guy, he's seems like a pretty great guy. If he really used to be the arrogant and snooty jerk he was when you were younger, maybe he's trying to prove to you that he's changed. I definitely think that he might be testing the waters here, to see if you're willing, but I don't see any reason to think that it's an official date. Also, from what we talked about, I think you're falling for this guy."

May was left a little speechless at her friend's words. "Dawn, love is supposed to happen when we're in our twenties and we accidentally collide with someone in a supermarket. It's not supposed to happen when we're sixteen and still traveling on our journeys. It's also not supposed to be Drew!" She entered the Pokécentre and made her was to her room.

"Hey May, chill out. I was just speculating. It could just be nothing, but I do think that you should wear something nice tonight, like he recommended." Dawn said in a soft voice.

"What do you think I should wear?" May asked, fiddling with her key as she unlocked the door.

"Do you have anything classy, but still a little fun?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah I have that blue dress I showed you in Sinnoh."

"Ooh that's a nice one. Have you worn it before?"

"Nope it's like new." May pulled out the dress and held it up. It was the pretty blue one she'd bought in Olivine.

"It's perfect then. Good luck May! I've got to go, it's time to hit the hay over here." Dawn said happily. "Text me later! I want to know all the details."

May looked at the dress. "Just you and me now." She grumbled.

* * *

Two hours later, she pulled on the dress and tied her hair back in a half-up and half-down style that was a very classic beauty type look. She matched the dress with a black bag and pair of black flats. She grabbed Glaceon's Pokéball and let the ice type out.

She twirled a little for her Pokémon. "What do you think Glaceon?" The Fresh Snow Pokémon let out a small bark of agreement. "I think you should come with Drew and I to the show tonight because I think he's bringing his Eevee."

May led the way down to the lobby, Glaceon darting ahead of her at the last minute and curiously circling Drew. May admitted it, her rival cleaned up nicely. He wore tan slacks and a white shirt that made his eyes and hair pop. He raised an eyebrow when he spotted her.

"Blue suits you." He said. He beckoned for her to walk with him and he made for the doors. As they walked towards the theatre, the wind was a little chilly and May almost regretted not wearing a coat. The evening reminded her of her and Drew's first meeting in Johto where they got coffee at midnight. She still had his scarf, she noted almost randomly.

"I figured you were going to bring Eevee along, so I brought Glaceon." May said to break the awkward silence.

Drew nodded. "I was hoping you would. Eevee's in his Pokéball right now, but I'll bring him out for the show. The Kimono Girls are performers and I thought it would be worthwhile for our Pokémon to see how they utilize the different skills of each evolution."

"That's a good point." May admitted. "Oh look! There's the theatre there!" She pointed to the traditional style wooden building with light pouring out of the doorway.

They walked inside and found two seats. Drew offered May his hand and he guided her into the seats of the busy theatre. May was thankful for the darkness that covered the light blush dusting her cheeks. It seemed like they were only seated for a minute before the lights dimmed fully and the show started. May leaned forwards and watched eagerly as the Kimono Girls took the stage.

She watched the show, enraptured, but Drew could barely tear his eyes from her, a soft smile on his lips. Eevee was watching the show intently as well, but Glaceon kept glancing between his trainer and her rival. The beautiful show received a standing ovation. Over the applause, May turned to Drew.

"Thank you for inviting me." She said sincerely.

He just shrugged. "Thanks for coming."

May smiled at him and turned back to the stage, still clapping. Once the applause had died down, the Kimono Girls made a special announcement. In honour of their hundred and fiftieth performance, they were going to play some music and have a dance for their guests to dance to. The music started and people began filing onto the dance floor. May looked curiously at Drew. He was smiling and glancing between her and the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked suddenly.

May felt heat flush her cheeks. "Um, I don't really know-"

Drew took her hand in his own and led her down towards the dance floor. "You worry too much." He guided her into a simple dance.

May knew her face was incredibly red, but she kept a smile on and enjoyed the peaceful moment. She felt it was a little awkward dancing with her rival in front of a bunch of strangers. Drew seemed to sense that and asked her if she wanted to go. May nodded, gratefully, and they made their way to the doors of the theatre. Once outside, Drew returned Eevee, but May kept Glaceon outside his Pokéball. They walked back to the Pokémon centre together, with Glaceon weaving in between them every so often.

"I'll see you later May. Thanks for tonight." Drew said once they arrived at the Pokécentre. He tossed her another rose, which May caught clumsily. "Congrats again on today." He turned and began to walk away down the dark street. He waved over his shoulder again.

May clutched the rose to her chest, touching the petals almost reverently. "Glaceon, what is this feeling?" she murmured softly.

Her Pokémon just barked in amusement and pawed gently at the hem of May's pretty, new, sapphire dress.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I am horrible. It's been almost three months and I am so so so so so so sorry! I've hit a stroke of inspiration on this story, so chapter five should be along in the next month. Fingers crossed that everything goes well. I did hit a wall when I accidentally deleted everything I had saved for half of this chapter. That was a problem.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's halfway done!

\- Nicole


	5. Fifth: We Are the Foxes

Part 5: We Are The Foxes

* * *

 _I can hear them whisper as we pass by_

 _It's a bad sign, bad sign_

...

 _See the vultures circling dark clouds_

 _Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out_

...

 _They are the hunters, we are the foxes_

 _And we run_

\- I Know Places, Taylor Swift

* * *

The sun glinted off the path before May as she walked towards her destination. The sun was shining, but the chilliness of day was still evident. Her fingers were curled deep into the pockets of her jacket and she dipped her chin into her scarf. It wasn't really her scarf, but she had begun to think of it as such since every time she tried to return it, he wouldn't take it back. It still smelled faintly of him: roses and sandalwood.

The fingers of her right hand curled around the shrunken Pokéball of one of her partners. Her heart swelled with pride even thinking about the miraculous event that had taken place. Skitty had evolved shortly after the contest they won in Ecruteak into a beautiful Delcatty, delighting May. She had also finally caught her sixth Pokémon. It would need some training before it was ready for it's contest debut. May would not being using to compete for her fifth and final ribbon.

She debated taking a break from her travels to do some appeal training, but decided to wait until she got to Mahogany Town. She readjusted the straps of her bag briefly, and her Pokégear started ringing insistently in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. It was Dawn.

"Hi Dawn," May greeted calmly as she answered the call, holding the device up to her ear.

"May! How could you not tell me? I thought, you know, since you confided in me in Ecruteak, you'd trust me with everything. When were you planning on telling me?" The blunette demanded through the phone. While her words gave the impression that she was cross, May thought her tone sounded kind of excited.

"Dawn, what have I not told you?" May questioned in honest confusion.

Dawn ignored May completely and kept rambling on about how they looked so cute. She just kept commenting on how they were so perfect for each other but that she was really mad that May hadn't told her. Still having no idea what her Sinnoan friend was talking about, May decided to let her ramble and to ask what she meant afterwards.

After nearly two minutes, Dawn had not shown any signs of slowly down and May was getting impatient. "Dawn!" She finally yelled to catch the other girl's attention.

Dawn fell silent for a second. "What's the matter May?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." May said simply.

"Really? How can you not know? Do you live under a rock?" Dawn asked incredulously.

"I don't think so, or I try not to." May replied, a little embarrassed.

"Wow, well it's kind of hard to explain over the phone. Where are you right now?"

May removed the Pokégear from her ear and put it on speakerphone. She pulled up the map application and studied her location in relevance to Mahogany Town. "I'm approximately five minutes away from arriving in Mahogany Town." She informed Dawn.

"Alright, that's perfect. Go to Mahogany Town and go to the nearest kiosk or PokéMart and buy the latest issue of Coordinator's Weekly. Call me back once you've read the cover article." Dawn instructed her and hung up before May could get another word in.

May glanced at the now silent device in her hand with exasperation before tucking it into her pocket and shaking her head. She would probably never understand Dawn, but people were all unique. She continued her trek towards Mahogany Town. True enough to her estimate, it took her only a few minutes to arrive at the edges of the town. She headed for the centre of the town to buy and or read Coordinator's Weekly.

She didn't even get past the first few buildings of the town, before a woman ran up to her. Her blonde hair was tied in a tight bun and she wore sharp, professional looking glasses and a navy business suit. She was holding a notepad and a perfectly sharpened pencil. "You are May Maple, are you not?" The woman asked. May raised an eyebrow, almost suspiciously, but nodded. The woman's face split into a smile. "My name is Natasha Skipper and I write for the Pokégirls' Press. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

May recognized Pokégirls' Press as a rival magazine to Coordinator's Weekly. "Um, yeah I guess I can spare the time for a few questions."

Natasha looked extremely pleased. She adjusted her glasses and looked down at her notebook. "These are mostly about your new relationship status." She told May. The coordinator blinked in surprise. Before May or the interviewer could ask a question or even say one word, someone gently grabbed May's wrist and pulled her away from the reporter.

May glanced at her rescuer in surprise. It was Drew. He didn't say a word of greeting to her and instead simply tugged her along until they reached the Pokémon Centre. He led her to a table hidden away in one of the corners and sat down. May remained standing, looking at him in confusion. Drew massaged his temples and let out a frustrated groan.

May cleared her throat gently, and Drew, without even looking up, gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit down May."

She did as he asked. "Why did you pull me away from that lady?" She asked him curiously.

"I hate reporters." He replied cryptically. He finally looked up at her. His green hair was a tad messy, but his eyes were as sharp as always. "Have you read the latest issue of Coordinator's Weekly, May?"

The brunette threw her hands up. "Why do people keep asking me that?" She groaned in frustration. "First Dawn, and now you." Drew perked a brow, but May continued, "No I have not read it, and I have no idea why it is so important to you people that I do!" She snapped.

Drew leaned back, an amused expression pulling at the corners of his lips, turning them into an attractive smile. "Here," he said, pulling the offending item from a pocket in his bag, "read it. You might understand then."

May cast him a skeptical glance before tugging the magazine, which had landed face down on the table, towards her. She flipped it over and her jaw practically dropped. The two of them shared the cover. The left side was a picture of Drew during one of his contests. He was smirking charmingly and looked like a coordinating model. The right side was a picture of May smiling daintily. She recognized the setting behind her photo as the shop she visited in Olivine with Jasmine to get her jacket and her dress. The bold words across the top of the magazine read: _Rivals? Friends? Or Something More?_

She hadn't even read the article yet, and she knew her cheeks were already burning. Drew leaned across the table and flipped the tabloid open to the eighth page: the one with the cover story. May scanned over the article. She noticed, surprised, it had documented every meeting the two had had through their entire Johto journeys. Much to her chagrin, there was a picture from each occasion even when they got coffee in the middle of the night and battled in an empty courtyard.

The first picture showed Drew offering May his scarf as they walked to the café. Her cheeks were flushed, both from the cold and the sweet gesture. The second picture was their hands brushing as she passed him his gift, the Shiny Stone. The third picture was of them walking side by side through the rose gardens in Len Town, their Pokémon fluttering above their heads. Next, there was a picture of them in the boutique in the Whirl Islands. Drew's lips were tilted up into a smile as May twirled around in her Super Contest costume. She was a little surprised to see the smile on her rival's lips, as she had not been facing him. The last photo, and the most intimate one, was them dancing in the Ecruteak theatre. Their eyes were connected and the moment certainly looked intimate.

May tore her eyes from the paper, still slightly embarrassed, and turned her attention to the accompanying article. According to Coordinator's Weekly, the two coordinators were a match made in heaven with a love that spawned through years of intense competition. Apparently much of the contest circuit followers are pleased with the development of a relationship, but there are some who would prefer that coordinators stay focused on the world of coordinating. This offended May; why should fans have a say on her personal life? It was her life, they couldn't tell her how to live it. Then she notices that some people who had been interviewed said either May or Drew was too good for the other, which made her face even redder than it already was.

When she looked up from the article, morbidly embarrassed, Drew was looking at her. "Have you spoken to a reporter at all?" His voice was strained and May knew that as much as he played the cool and suave guy, he was still uncomfortable by the prying actions of the media.

May closed the magazine and crossed her arms. "Of course not. Do you really think that I would be a person who enjoys the media prying into my private affairs?" She was a little hurt that Drew thought so lowly of her. "Today was the first I've heard of any of this relationship stuff."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "First time?" He seemed surprised and May was taken aback. How long had the relationship speculation been going on? "I didn't think you had spoken to a reporter because you handle them normally with the grace of a Snorlax." May glared at him for the jab, but Drew ignored her. "It's just been annoying. Reporters about this article have hounded me for three straight days. I figured since there was a contest here that I could cut you off and ask you about it."

"More like interrogate." May corrected sharply.

Drew shrugged. "Better me than your parents. Or worse, Solidad."

The image of her mother and father calling her demanding to know why they were not informed that Drew was her boyfriend, along with Max's know-it-all tone in the background was frightening. She wasn't quite sure why Drew thought Solidad was scary, but then she remembered that Drew and Solidad had been friends for an awfully long time. From the personal conversations she had with either or both of them, it seemed that Drew was a lot closer to Solidad than he was to his family. She supposed that finding out through Drew and Dawn was probably a good way for it to end up.

May's thought train was interrupted when Drew pushed out his chair to leave. She looked up at him questioningly. "I just figure that we probably shouldn't give the reporters any more fuel than they already have." He paused like he was done, before adding in a dry tone, "Despite our scintillating conversation as friends, I have no more interest in making another front cover again."

Before he could walk off completely, May called out to him. "Drew!" He paused and looked back at her. "Are you going to stick around to watch the contest?" She asked curiously.

Drew shrugged. "I'm not competing, but I might." He nodded to her and pushed his hands into his pockets before walking away.

May looked back at the table in front of her and the glaring cover. She scowled and grabbed it, throwing it into the nearby trashcan. She then remembered that she was supposed to call Dawn back. She cautiously brought out her Pokégear and looked at the screen. In many ways, May didn't want to call her Sinnoan friend, but then she'd never hear the end of it.

Picking her poison, May dialed Dawn's number. It barely made it past the first ring before Dawn picked up, chipper as always.

"I know what you're talking about now." May said, forgetting to introduce herself.

Dawn apparently didn't need any assistance figuring out what May was talking about or even who was calling. "Any idea why the sudden interest in you two? I mean it looks like you guys are super comfortable around each other and have been for a while."

"I don't really know. I guess they were waiting for it to get closer to the end of the season and to the Grand Festival." May replied, sitting back down at the table. "Why do you think they chose to do it at all?"

"May, you and Drew are two big names in coordinating, in Hoenn especially, and it's perfectly natural for people to associate friends and rivals with romantic relationships. Besides, like I said, you two certainly do appear very comfortable with each other. The intimate touches, the teasing, the rivalry, the friendship and gosh, even the roses he gives you: they all point towards the same thing."

May blinked in surprise. "But Dawn, the roses are not for me. They're always for..." May trailed off when she realized her own naivety. "Oh Arceus I'm an idiot."

"May?" Dawn inquired confused.

May felt her breathing increase. "He always said the roses were for Beautifly and I always believed him. Oh Arceus Dawn, what if he does have feelings for me?"

"Well May, he's not being particularly subtle, and even if he does have a thing for you, from what you've told me, I think you've got one for him too."

May was silent for a moment trying to process everything. Her cheeks were flushed and her heart was still racing. "I," she paused. "I have to go Dawn. I've got a contest to win." She felt a bit bad about it, but she hung up on her Sinnoan friend before she could even reply.

* * *

The next day, May was leaving the Pokémon centre for the contest hall when the Pokégirls' Press reporter from the day before cornered her. May sighed and rubbed her hands together. Before the lady could get a word out, May cut her off. "You're Ms. Skipper right? For Pokégirls' Press?" The reporter nodded. "I'm sorry our interview got cut off yesterday, but I don't have much to say. Drew and I are not in a relationship; we are just friendly rivals at most. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a contest to participate in."

May brushed past her and didn't even turn to acknowledge the stunned look on the reporter's face. She made it to the contest hall and went to the locker rooms to get ready. She pulled out a Pokéball and smiled. "Time to see if you're ready for your contest debut."

When the rest of the coordinators arrived, there was some chatter amongst them and a few sideways glances in May's direction, but generally it was just the friendly atmosphere of a normal contest. May was relieved for that. The performance order was announced and May was to give her appeal second. She watched as the first coordinator went onstage and gave an appeal using a Noctowl, a stunning aerial display.

She took to the stage herself afterwards, smiling as usual. She kissed the Pokéball before tossing it before her. "Delcatty! Take the stage!" The purple kitten Pokémon appeared before her, landing elegantly.

* * *

Her appeal went flawlessly, her Blizzard and Double Slap combo was less cute but far more elegant now with the evolved Pokémon. Delcatty had evolved shortly after the Ecruteak contest, much to May's elation. The newly evolved Pokémon was making her contest debut for May's fifth ribbon. Fortunately, as she advanced through to the battle rounds, everything was going smoothly. She only recognized one other coordinator in the contest and it was the girl from New Bark Town that had beaten her.

May and the girl, Lucy, who was nice enough, were on opposite ends of the bracket. At first May was a little worried, but Glaceon and Beautifly swept her first two battle rounds. The third round, the semi-finals, was more of a challenge, but Glaceon narrowly defeated a tough Victreebell. True to May's prediction, she was paired against Lucy in the finals.

They shook hands at the half and Lucy complimented May on her Glaceon and Delcatty. May thanked her and felt a little guilty that she couldn't return a compliment since she didn't actually know that much about Lucy. She did ask how many ribbons the other girl had, and found out that they both had four and were looking for their fifth.

May nodded to the blonde. "May the best coordinator win."

Lucy smiled. "Of course."

Lucy called out her Quilava and May smiled. She knew how Quilava battled and she was going to try something new this time. She called out Beautifly, which brought out some cries of surprise from the crowd. A bug type would still be weak to the fire type, but May had a strategy. When the timer started, Lucy wasted no time by called a Flamethrower.

Beautifly nimbly dodged it by spinning and retaliated with a Silver Wind that sent Quilava skidding backwards. Lucy's points dropped, but May didn't attack. She waited until Quilava tried to attack again with Lava Plume, but then used Gust to redirect the flames, creating a beautiful display of power that dropped the Johtoan's points further. May continually used Quilava's attacks against it in the battle, focusing more on the points than the big flashy knockouts.

At the end of the battle she finally called for a Morning Sun, making Beautifly sparkle, and then another powerful Silver Wind to push Lucy's points to zero. May hugged Beautifly tightly and then returned the tired bug type. It had been a brilliant battle. Lucy conceded defeat and promised May she'd see her at the Grand Festival.

May smiled at her. "I don't doubt it."

The presentation ceremony went quickly and soon May was backstage packing up her things. The victory felt good, like a breath of fresh air. It was a real relief to have all five ribbons before the last contest before the Grand Festival. Now she could focus on getting to Goldenrod and her strategy for the Grand Festival. She was leaving the contest hall, intent on hitting up the Pokémon centre to heal up before she left for Goldenrod, when she was ambushed.

Drew had been leaning against the wall next to the door in the shade, waiting for her. May didn't quite know what to say when she saw him, but shyly thanked him when he tosses her yet another flawless rose.

"I guess I'll be seeing you in Goldenrod." Drew said casually.

May smiled. "Yeah. You better be ready because this year I'm going to win it all."

"Unless I beat you to that Miss Amateur." He remarked, obviously looking for a reaction from her.

May scowled. "You shut up Drew. I'll beat you. You'll see."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Is that a promise?" May blinked in surprise but when Drew just shrugged and offered a hand to her, May presumed he wanted to shake on it.

Instead, he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to it that made her face erupt to a shade of tomato red. Drew seemed to notice her fish out of water expression and smirked. "See you in Goldenrod." For the second time in two days, he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and walked away, leaving May behind, blushing.

Her fingers grazed the back of her hand in wonder before she shook her head. Drew was just being smooth as usual. But, she had to wonder, what if Dawn was right? Maybe Drew did have feelings for her and vice versa. May shook her head. With the Grand Festival around the corner, it wouldn't do her well to get distracted.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Okay, I have no excuses. This was sitting unfinished for too long. Fortunately, Chapter six is partway done already. There may even be another update this month. The story should hopefully get done by the end of the summer. Follow me on Tumblr for more news (nicolewrites) and stay up to date with everything!

\- Nicole


	6. Sixth: This Is the Worthwhile Fight

**Part 6: This Is the Worthwhile Fight**

* * *

 _This is the worthwhile fight_

 _Love is a ruthless game_

 _Unless you play it good and right_

 _These are the hands of fate_

 _You're my Achilles heel_

 _This is the golden age of something_

 _Good and right and real_

\- State of Grace, Taylor Swift

* * *

It had been a month and a week since the Mahogany Town contest. May had arrived in Goldenrod two weeks prior and spent a good deal of time exploring the metropolitan gem and training in various nearby locations, including the National Park. She found the city large and intimidating.

While large, it was packed with coordinators primed for the Grand Festival. May had run into each of her rivals, Drew, Solidad, and Harley at least once. She had also seen and had a practice battle against Lucy. After that battle, Drew appeared almost out of nowhere and May and him went out for coffee again. They were stopped by a reporter from Coordinator's Weekly who asked about their relationship. They both shut the topic down, calling themselves friends out to discuss strategy.

It was the day of opening ceremonies and May was extremely nervous. She was doing some appeal work with Wartortle and her new team member who had melded in nicely with the rest of her team in the morning, but she was too nervous and excited to really focus so she called it quits early on. When she returned to the Pokémon Centre she saw Drew, Harley and Solidad all seated around a table.

"May!" Solidad called out when she spotted the younger coordinator. Harley grinned widely at her too, and Drew twisted in his seat, looking for her. "Come sit with us!" Solidad invited, beckoning to her.

May laughed and made her way over to their table and slid in next to Drew, across from Solidad and Harley. May cast Drew a glance and gave him a small smile. "I never thought I'd see the day you sat willingly with Harley," she said softly to him.

Drew pressed a hand to his lips to hide his smile. "Solidad can make some scary threats," he replied. May raised her eyebrow quizzically. She had no idea what he was talking about. She smothered her laughter and tuned back into the fact that Solidad was trying to ask her a question about her training.

"How was your morning May? Get any training done?"

May laughed nervously. "Actually, not really. I got kind of distracted thinking about the fact that the ceremony is tonight."

Solidad smiled understandingly. "Of course. I think we're all a little anxious."

Harley opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but Drew flashed him a hard green-eyed glare and he shut up. Now May was really confused. What on earth did Drew have over Harley?

"Anyways," Solidad said, coughing to regain the attention, "we should all meet up at the ceremony."

"Yeah we should," Harley grinned excitedly. "It's no fun standing in a crowd of strangers so we might as well do it together, right Sugarplums?"

Drew rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever." He quipped.

May hid a smile again. "I guess if we all have out PokéNavs we can message each other that way."

"Sounds good to me," Solidad said brightly. "Now if you'll excuse us, Harley promised me a practice battle."

The two older coordinators stood up from the booth. Solidad gave May one more smile and flashed Drew a knowing look before she departed. Drew rolled his eyes and May raised an eyebrow at him. He was usually a pretty collected guy with a sharp wit.

"What on earth has Solidad got on you Drew?" May asked, stifling a giggle.

"Nothing of serious importance, it's something I'm dealing with." He replied coolly.

May smirked at her rival. "I totally buy that," she quipped.

Drew smirked back. "Well, I can see you're perceptive as always."

She pouted. "It's called sarcasm."

"I'm well aware May. I was only joking." He said, his tone light.

She glanced down at her hands, cheeks flushing. Since Mahogany Town she had been reading into his actions a lot differently. May consulted Dawn often, dubbing her Sinnoan friend the resident boy expert. Dawn stood by her theory that Drew liked May and used almost every action, even one as insignificant as holding a door open, as proof.

"Care to spoil your first appeal team?" May asked suddenly, feeling the urge to change the subject.

Drew reclined in the chair, a handsome smirk sliding into place. "Only if you do Miss Maple."

Playing coy, May tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled. "I'm afraid that's classified information Mr. Hayden."

Drew nodded, both respectful of her decision and teasing of her protectiveness of the appeal. He stood from the booth and edged out and May followed his example. "I'll be seeing you at the ceremony tonight then," Drew said.

May nodded. "Of course. And then I'll see you in the finals."

Drew tipped his head a little. "I'll hold you to that then."

With that, he turned and walked towards the entrance of the Pokémon Centre, probably off to do some training. May noticed that a group of girls sitting nearby perked up when he walked by, but Drew simply ignored them and left the building. May suppressed a smile.

* * *

May slid her foot into the dress shoes and stood up. She was in her room in the Pokémon Centre preparing for the opening ceremonies. She removed her bandana and folded the cloth neatly. She ran a hand through curls that she had painstakingly spent two hours doing. The three burns on her neck were worth it. She enjoyed having curly hair. May had paired a dark emerald green skirt with a white blouse and black shoes. It was simple and dressy, but classy.

She grabbed her bag and triple checked to make sure she had all her Pokémon. Once she was sure, she darted out of the room and down into the lobby. It was fairly empty. Most of the coordinators had already made their way to the contest hall. She ducked out into the city and scurried through busy streets to the contest hall. May slipped backstage amongst the hundred or so coordinators.

They poured out onto the field and looked up at the screen. Mr. Contesta began his welcoming speech and May looked around for her friends. Her PokéNav chimed softly and she glanced at the message. Solidad had told her to look to her left. The salmon-haired coordinator with Harley at her side was edging through the crowd towards her. May grinned and was about to wave when someone placed a gentle hand on her arm. She jumped, and turned to see Drew.

He was wearing a white shirt and black pants. Simple and classic; like herself. She smiled at him and Drew smiled back. "May," he greeted.

Solidad and Harley finally made it to them. "Hey you two," Solidad said happily.

May was about to return the greeting, but Mr. Contesta was now revealing the locations that each of the appeals would be happening and in what order. May saw herself in the east building, Harley in the north, and Solidad and Drew in the west. She turned back to her friends and found their attention fixated on the same thing. The four coordinators exchanged looks briefly.

The flames of the Grand Festival were lit.

* * *

May nervously drummed her fingers over her leg. She was waiting her turn to perform her first appeal. Glaceon and Delcatty's Pokéballs were on standby. The tinny voice of the announcer from the locker room's TV called a name she recognized and May watch Drew take his position on the field. She was curious as to which Pokémon he would be using.

The first one he called out made May smile. It was his Absol; a trusty Pokémon that he had debuted in the last Grand Festival. His second Pokémon elicited a couple of gasps from the watching coordinators. It was a Houndoom. The fierce fire type looked powerful and well groomed. Drew's combinations were dazzling and very polished. The two dark type Pokémon worked easily in tandem.

He used a combination that May loved using, fire and water, with Flamethrower and Water Pulse. The whole thing was very haunting, but is pulled off wonderfully. It ended with Absol's Dark Pulse blasting through the intimidating shadow of Houndoom's Scary Face. Houndoom made the last move, a Howl attack that made people shiver. May watched him with pride. He was her rival and she had a lot to live up to. Drew's final score from the appeal was the highest so far.

May heard her name called over the speaker and she made her way onto the field. She called out her Pokémon and started her own appeal. It was light and playful, and showcased the elegance of both her Pokémon. She used Glaceon's Ice Beam and Delcatty's Blizzard to create a winter wonderland and then her Pokémon skated around, building and destroying ice sculptures in bright flashes of colour. Her score ended up being higher than Harley and Lucy, but Solidad, Drew and a girl named Marina all received higher scores.

She returned backstage and found Solidad waiting for her. "May! Your appeal was adorable. I loved your ice rink idea." The older coordinator praised.

May beamed. "Thanks Solidad! I missed your appeal unfortunately, but I'll catch your next one. I'm off to the north building now for my second."

"I'm going aerial for this one, so we'll see if the cameras can keep up." Solidad joked. "You'll probably run into Drew at the north building. His second appeal is there too."

May nodded. Her adrenaline was running high. She did end up meeting with Drew just as he finished his second appeal, scoring high once again, but this time with the seasoned team of Roserade and Flygon. He complimented May on her last performance and wished her luck as her name was called.

May proceeded onto the field again and took a deep breath. "Wartortle! Ampharos! Take the stage!" Her water type and new electric type hit the field in a swirl of bubbles. "Use Water Pulse Wartortle!"

Her turtle Pokémon created orbs of water and sent them up into the sky. At her command, he also used Water Gun while twirling to send streams of water up too. Ampharos then used a Discharge to pop the bubbles with bright streams of electricity. The performance closed out with Wartortle using Aqua Jet. Then, Ampharos used Thunderbolt on the Aqua Jet. Fortunately, Wartortle's timing was impeccable. He leapt free of the Aqua Jet just in time for the whole thing to explode in sparkles.

May hugged both her Pokémon tightly, breathing out in relief. "You guys did wonderful!"

The appeals finished up quickly after that. After the appeal round, Drew was in first, followed by Marina, Solidad, May, a boy named Chris, Lucy, Harley and then another guy named Damien. The first two rounds, Top 32 and Top 16, passed quickly. All of her rivals won their battles without a sweat. May edged out her Top 16 opponent with a little more trouble, but nothing serious.

In the Top 8, Marina was to be against Lucy, Drew against Damien, Harley against Chris, and May against Solidad. May looked to her friend. Solidad was smiling.

"Let's make this a battle to remember, May."

"You're so on." May smiled. She had just the team to take on Solidad.

As they were leaving the contest hall, Drew caught up with her. "Ready to battle Solidad?" He asked her.

May shrugged. "Is anyone ever really ready to face a Top Coordinator?"

Drew chuckled. "I guess not. You used Ampharos and Delcatty last round. Can I assume neither of them will be making an appearance?"

May nodded. "They're getting some well deserved rest. Who are you going to be using?"

"Houndoom and Roserade." Drew said firmly. "I know Damien's going to be using his Meganium and Vaporeon. They're his fallback team. I've battled them before."

"Are you still going to meet me in the finals?"

"Only if you meet me there," Drew said.

May smiled. "Again, we have a deal."

* * *

The next day was the beginning of the Top 8. Marina and Lucy were up first. Solidad, Drew, Harley, and May had all gathered backstage to watch the battle. Lucy had taken an early lead, but now Marina was hitting back. The two were apparently familiar with each other since they grew up in the same hometown. Marina quickly gained the upper hand in the second half and knocked out Lucy's Quilava and Linoone with Croconaw and Misdreavus.

Drew was next to the field. True enough to his prediction, Damien went with Vaporeon and Meganium. Houndoom and Roserade worked well together. They pulled off a particularly scary flaming Petal Dance that knocked Meganium out. At the end, Drew had more points and shook the other boy's hand. He returned to the other coordinators and nodded to May and Solidad.

Now May stood across the field from Solidad. It was make or break time. Solidad called out her Pokémon first and May almost cried. Slowbro and Pidgeot took the field before her. It was the team that had beaten her in Kanto. Solidad gauged May's reaction and smiled.

"Let's see how much you've improved since Kanto." She challenged.

The brunette took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm not the same person I was then. I've got my own style and my own strategy. I'm not losing to you again." She drew the Pokéballs she had selected and tossed them forwards. "Beautifly! Glaceon! Take the stage!" Solidad nodded at May's choice. It was very different from the Bulbasaur and Munchlax that had faced her last time.

The battle waged on and both sides were equal. May was a little outmatched in strength, but she made it up for it in speed. As the five minutes was coming to an end, May called a near-desperate combination. She used a Silver Wind from Beautifly and then Glaceon used Mirror Coat. The ice type broke through the Silver Wind, taking damage but colliding strongly with Slowbro. The damage was enough to take out the psychic type.

Unfortunately, Solidad took advantage of May's focus on Glaceon and commanded an Aerial Ace. Pidgeot took out Beautifly with that last hit leaving them both with one Pokémon. At that moment, the clock ticked out. The points were very close, but May's Mirror Coat at the very end was just enough to push her ahead of Solidad. May fell to her knees in relief.

Glaceon rushed at her trainer and practically collapsed into her lap. May embraced her Pokémon thankfully, tears pricking at her eyes. Solidad looked shocked. Sighing, she returned her Pidgeot. It had been a very tough battle and May's win was well earned. She crossed the pitch and the younger trainer stood up.

"Congratulations May. That was an excellent battle. You've improved a lot since Kanto." Solidad said sincerely.

They shook hands and May smiled. "Thank you so much. It was amazing."

With the crowd still roaring, the girls split and headed backstage. May practically collapsed onto the first bench she found, head spinning. She had beaten Solidad. She had beaten a Top Coordinator. She was in the Top 4. While she hated that her victory had to come over a friend, it still felt amazing.

The door of the waiting room opened and Drew walked inside. May glanced at her rival in surprise. His visit was unexpected. She had assumed that he would congratulate both Solidad and herself at the same time. Drew took a seat next to her on the bench.

"You did it." He said softly.

May smiled. "Yeah."

"Solidad is a very tough opponent."

She nodded. "She's a Top Coordinator. She is rightfully strong."

"As are you May." Drew said. The two weren't looking at each other, but there was something in the air between them that May couldn't identify.

"Thank you." She replied bashfully. Drew had been complimenting her more lately. Dawn squealed every time May recited a compliment that she had received. Together the two coordinators left backstage and began making their way towards the stands to watch Harley's battle. May glanced at her rival. "We may end up battling each other next round Drew." She elbowed him lightly. "It'll be a match to remember."

Drew chuckled. "Not yet May. If he wins, which I don't doubt he will, I'm up against Harley next round and you're going against Marina."

May exhaled. She had kind of been dreading facing off against Marina. From what she knew, the New Bark Town girl was Johto born and bred, but she had quite the international following as a coordinator and a Pokémon idol. She had hit Lucy's Pokémon hard and May knew that that kind of strength wasn't to be underestimated. Fighting Solidad or Harley or Drew or even Lucy felt intense, but also routine because they knew each other. But battling Marina was going to be completely new.

"I'm anxious about that. I don't know the first thing about her besides the fact that she has the Croconaw and the Misdreavus she used against Lucy." May admitted.

Drew pulled out his PokéNav and fiddled with it for a moment before showing May the page he'd pulled up. It was Marina's trainer information page. "She has a Croconaw, a Misdreavus, a Jigglypuff, an Arcanine, a Togekiss and a Girafarig."

May took the device out of his hand and scanned over her article. Commonly listed combinations included Blue, the Croconaw, and Little Miss, the Misdreavus; Angel, the Togekiss, and Pink, the Jigglypuff; Archy, the Arcanine, and Raffy, the Girafarig; and Blue and Angel. May nodded slowly.

"Thanks Drew. That's helpful."

Her rival nodded. "I figured it might be."

A loud crash echoed through the stadium and they heard the announcer declare Harley as the winner of his battle. May glanced at Drew. He shrugged. He had predicted correctly. May would be facing Marina and Drew would be against Harley.

"I'm going to head back to the Pokémon Centre now. I'll see you tomorrow Drew." May waved to her rival brightly as she made her way for the exits.

Drew gave her his two-fingered salute and headed into the crowd.

* * *

May woke up the next morning to the sound of crashing rain. A glance out her window confirmed the fact that it was absolutely pouring rain. She sighed. So much for using Morning Sun with Beautifly if she wanted to. She hadn't been planning on using the butterfly Pokémon that day because it was still resting from the battle against Solidad.

May tied her bandana securely in her hair and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled confidently. She was going up against Marina today and then whoever won would go to the finals. She was ready. May left the Pokémon Centre quickly to avoid any reporters or fans. As she was arriving at the stadium, she spotted Solidad headed for the stands.

"Solidad!" May called out.

The older coordinator turned, a smile on her face. "May! Are you ready to face Marina?"

May shrugged. "As I'll ever be."

Solidad nodded. "Good. I'll be cheering for you."

"Are you picking a side when Drew and Harley battle?"

The pink-haired girl frowned. "I don't know. Drew is practically my brother, but Harley is one of my oldest friends."

"I'm going to be cheering for Drew," May admitted, "but you should cheer equally. Someone needs to be happy if Harley wins besides Harley."

Solidad giggled. "Alright May, I'll stay a happy neutral. You should get going. They're going to start your battle soon."

May jolted. The Top Coordinator was right; her battle was starting in 10 minutes. "I'll see you around Solidad!"

She turned and darted off, and heard Solidad call out a good luck to her.

May met Marina halfway across the field. The two girls shook hands and Marina smiled. She was very pretty and May collected her confidence and smiled back. Before they split back to their own ends of the field, Marina cast May a sly look.

"Don't disappoint your boyfriend! We'll give him a battle to remember." Marina winked at her and May knew she was joking, but her cheeks flamed anyways.

They took their positions in opposite boxes and Marina took the first move, calling on her Pokémon. Angel and Pink landed on the field gracefully. The Togekiss spread it's wings and soaked in the cheers from the crowd. Despite the closed stadium, there was plenty of room for the Pokémon to fly. May nodded to herself. She called out her Ampharos and Delcatty.

The announcer started the timer and the first semi-final match began.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well I promised that I'd update this soon and I kind of lied. I was super busy with volunteering lately and had almost no time to write. At this time, I finally found the burst I needed to finish the ending thankfully since I'm leaving on a cruise tomorrow with no wifi and I'm probably not going to bring my computer. After cruising, I then have to go with my family to drop off/move in my sister at her university so that's two weeks of probably no writing. I'm aiming to get the last two chapters done by October, but I'm going to need to focus a bit on my piece for the PJO Big Bang, since that's due soon and I'm over half-way done.

Check me out on Tumblr too, my username is **nicolewrites**

-Nicole


	7. Seventh: Rain We Thought Would Last

**Part 7: Rain We Thought Would Last Forever**

* * *

 _It's like we don't remember_

 _The rain we thought would last forever and ever_

 _..._

 _There you'll stand next to me_

 _All at once, the rest is history_

 _Your eyes–wider than distance_

 _This life–sweeter than fiction_

\- Sweeter than Fiction, Taylor Swift

* * *

May was running out of tricks. She knew it, Marina knew it and most of the crowd knew it. The Johto coordinator was leading in points and her Pokémon had taken less hits. May had used every strategy she knew to try and land a hit on her opponents, but Marina wisely used Togekiss' aerial advantage to gracefully dodge each attack.

The dodges were mainly what was costing May points, but she was also being hit hard. Togekiss and Jigglypuff were very strong. It was unusual for a coordinator to have such strong Pokémon, but May knew the perks. She herself often relied on strength and knockouts to win contest battles whereas people like Drew or Lucy relied on flashy appeals. It was different battling against someone who relied equally on power and beauty. It was a lot like battling Solidad again, May reasoned.

Her attention snapped fully back into the battle when Marina called another attack. "Angel use Air Slash!"

The gust of air whipped towards Delcatty and May barely squeaked out the dodge command. The ball smashed into the stage with a spray of sparkles and pushed Delcatty and Ampharos back. She grit her teeth and wracked her brain for a way to knock down Marina's points. An idea struck her suddenly and it would count on Marina being predictable enough to use the same dodge.

"Alright, Ampharos use Thunder Punch on Jigglypuff!" May commanded, the wheels in her head turning rapidly.

"Angel, get Pink out of there!" Marina countered. Her Togekiss swooped down and the Jigglypuff jumped on. Ampharos' Thunder Punch met with empty air, but May just grinned.

"Delcatty! Up!" She yelled. Her Pokémon leapt up and landed neatly behind Jigglypuff on Togekiss' back. Marina's jaw dropped and her points dropped. "Take Down!" May commanded, back in the swing of the battle. Delcatty's Take Down attack launched Jigglypuff off of Togekiss and it landed hard on the ground, right in front of May's Ampharos.

"Pink!" Marina yelled. She looked at her Togekiss, hoping that it would be able to save her other Pokémon, but Angel was too busy trying to shake Delcatty off, but May's Pokémon had a solid grip and wasn't letting go.

"Ampharos finish off Jigglypuff with Brick Break!" May called. Her confidence in the battle was returning and she knew that she could turn this in her favour. Every second that Delcatty remained perfectly braced on Togekiss' back was another second that Marina's points decreased. She would win this thing yet.

Ampharos leapt up and with a glowing hand, struck Jigglypuff. Pink rolled back, out for the count and Marina yelled for her Pokémon, worry sharp in her voice. She recalled the balloon Pokémon and narrowed her eyes. There was little less than a minute on the clock and May had managed to reduce Marina's lead to only a couple of points.

"Angel, spin!" Marina called. Togekiss artfully spun through the air and eventually it was enough to send Delcatty flying off. As the prim Pokémon sailed down towards the ground, Togekiss spun back towards her foe. "Use Psychic!"

A blue outline appeared around Delcatty and May watched in horror as Togekiss hurled Delcatty towards Ampharos. There was a collision and a cloud of smoke plumed from the hit. May's breath caught in her throat. Had she lost? It only took her a second to realize that Ampharos was still standing and her heart jolted back to life. Delcatty, however, was out for the count and May returned her faithful Pokémon and pressed a kiss to its Pokéball.

There was thirty seconds left on the clock and the two coordinators were equal in points and each had one Pokémon standing. It was time to end it, and May called her move first.

"Ampharos, jump and use Thunder Punch!" She called, chest tightening. The yellow Pokémon jumped into the air towards Togekiss and brought down a sparking fist, but the aerial Pokémon spun gracefully out of the way. May's points dropped and Marina smirked. May's determined expression didn't waver and Marina's smug expression wavered.

She realized too late that spinning to be behind Ampharos was exactly what May had anticipated.

"Thunder! Behind you!" May yelled, clenching her fists tightly.

Ampharos let loose the attack which collided with the jubilee Pokémon and sent it crashing to the ground. Marina's points dropped and Togekiss weakly rose. It was a very tough Pokémon and had taken more hits than May thought it would. Before either trainer could call another attack, the buzzer sounded and the match was over.

May's eye flickered to the screen in fear and she let out the breath she'd been holding when she saw that Ampharos' Thunder had just barely knocked Marina's points below her own so she'd won the match. She ran onto the pitch and threw her arms around the newest member of her team.

"I'm so proud of you," she gushed. Ampharos made a tired, yet proud noise and May smiled once more. She returned her exhausted partner. "Thank you so much!"

Marina was frowning across the pitch as she returned her exhausted Togekiss. She let out a sigh, but smiled at May. The two coordinators met at the halfway mark of the field and shook hands over the roaring crowd. Marina's grip was firm, but she had no malice in her smile and May's own grin was contagious.

"Thanks for the battle May," Marina said, leaning in close to say it over the crowd.

May laughed. "I should be thanking you. It was certainly something to remember. You deserve this just as much as I do," May said firmly.

Marina smiled. "Thank you, but only one of us is going to meet our boyfriend in the finals." She winked and May's eyes widened.

"But he hasn't even won," she muttered.

Marina released their grip and winked. "You didn't deny it this time," she reminded cheerfully. She waved to the crowd one last time and headed backstage.

May hurried offstage after that, attempting to hide her burning cheeks. She sat on a bench in the locker room just to take a breather. Her ears were ringing from the noise in the stadium and she could still feel the adrenaline pulsing in her veins. It was kind of a sudden realization, but May felt her whole body freeze. She was in the Grand Festival Finals.

She let out a happy and surprised breath and smiled to herself. The finals. She was one battle away from a Ribbon Cup and the coveted Top Coordinator title. All she had to do was win one more battle and she would have done it. Her heart was hammering and she was in disbelief. When she became a coordinator, she never imagined that in three years she would have gotten herself to the semi-finals. It was too much to have ever hoped for and yet here she was, ready to go to the finals.

Then May realized. She was going to be facing off against Drew or Harley. The idea of facing either one of her rivals was exhilarating and nerve-wracking. They still had to face off against one another to earn the spot in the finals and May realized that if she didn't hurry to the Pokémon Centre, she might miss the start of the match.

She hurried out of the change room and made her way to the front of the contest hall. She ran the short distance to the Pokémon Centre and kept as dry as she could and dropped of her Ampharos and Delcatty with Nurse Joy, who just smiled warmly at her and congratulated her on making it to the finals.

May thanked her in response and hustled back to the contest hall, ducking out of the rain as soon as possible. When she arrived back, Solidad, Drew and Harley were all standing around in the lobby, but Drew and Harley were glaring at each other with animosity. Drew looked seriously peeved and May knew that Harley must have done something to set off the younger coordinator. Solidad simply looked very exasperated. May cautiously approached the trio.

"May!" Solidad greeted, spotting her. "That was an incredible battle and an incredible comeback! Congratulations!"

May smiled graciously. "Thanks Solidad. I owe a lot to my Pokémon for that one," she admitted. Her gaze flickered to Drew, who was watching her, animosity faded from his expression.

"You were good May," he complimented politely. For some reason, Drew's praise made her feel warmer than Solidad's or Marina's. "I'll see you in the finals," Drew said and smirked at Harley before turning on his heel and walking away to get ready for the match.

"You still have to beat me Drewsie!" Harley yelled after him, shaking a fist at him. When the green-haired coordinator didn't turn back, Harley scowled. "Pretty boy can't take an insult."

"Harley," Solidad reprimanded, "he did fine dealing with you until you insulted someone else." She looked pointedly at May, but the brunette just blinked innocently, the implication flying over her head. "Be nice," Solidad said firmly.

Harley huffed. "Only for you Sol," he grumbled. He nodded briefly to both female coordinators and turned to also go get ready for his match.

"Come on May, let's find some seats," Solidad invited, beckoning May towards the entrance to the stands.

* * *

It took a while but they managed to find some good seats with a decent view of the pitch. May craned her neck to see, but neither Drew nor Harley had taken the stage yet. However, it was expected that they would very soon. Solidad touched May's elbow lightly to gain her attention and smiled.

"So, who do you think will win?" The older coordinator asked.

May creased her brow. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Well, I think Drew is the more polished coordinator, but Harley has some combinations that can throw even the most composed coordinators like Drew off guard." Solidad explained.

"Even though it means I have to battle him, I'm actually cheering for Drew." May said timidly.

"Have you battled Drew yet this season, May?" Solidad asked curiously.

"No," she admitted. "The only time we battled was in Len Town and it was just a practice battle. Considering we're rivals, we didn't spend a whole lot of time this season actually being rivals," May realized.

"Well a battle between you two would certainly be something to watch. Drew's having probably the best season of his career, but on the other hand, so are you." Solidad said firmly. "I honestly couldn't say who would come out on top."

Before they could say anything else, music blared through the speakers and both competitors walked onto the field. Harley raised his hands to loud cheers and he basked in the attention. Across from him, Drew just casually raised one hand and the crowd went absolutely nuts. There were a lot of female screams and Solidad chuckled, while May bit her lip.

The battle began with Harley calling out his Banette and Cacturne. They were probably his two strongest, and May knew just how desperate he was to beat Drew. Drew then called out his team, and both female coordinators were stunned. Drew had called out Masquerain and Espeon.

It was very strange to see the new edition to Drew's team. He usually unveiled one new member of his team per Grand Festival, but it was very strange for him to show off a second considering that Houndoom made its debut in the appeals round. May studied the Espeon and noticed that it looked very confident and proud as well as sleek and well groomed. With a start, she finally identified it as the shy little Eevee that she had met in Ecruteak. She hid a smile behind her hand.

"Drew's put himself at a disadvantage with Espeon since both of Harley's Pokémon are Dark Types," Solidad observed.

"He'll have a plan," May promised. "He always does."

The battle began with Harley launching a Needle Arm, which Masquerain neatly deflected with Silver Wind. It hit hard and Harley's Pokémon inched backwards from the force of the attack and Harley's points dropped. Harley countered with Needle Arm from Cacturne and Frustration from Banette. Masquerain's Bubble halted Banette in its tracks, but Espeon took the Needle Arm attack with no resistance.

May flinched. "Why would Espeon just take that attack?" she asked.

Solidad's eyebrows furrowed. "I think I know why," she mumbled.

Back on the pitch, Masquerain used Water Pulse and Espeon used Psychic to break up the Water Pulse into smaller blobs of water. Then Espeon hurled the water forward and Masquerain used Gust to back it up. Harley's Pokémon took a hard hit and his points dropped again thanks to Drew's flashy and effective move.

"Banette use Frustration on that Espeon!" Harley screeched, losing his cool. Only two minutes had passed and Harley had already lost half his points. This time Espeon dodged neatly and Drew commanded a Safeguard. Espeon's purple coat glimmered green and Harley's points dropped again.

"Espeon, use Signal Beam on Banette!" Drew commanded, a smirk spreading across his face.

"Dodge!" Harley yelled, but it was too late as the multi-coloured beam of light knocked Banette into the wall and into unconsciousness. He scowled and returned the Pokémon

May let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. There were still two minutes left of the match and Drew had three-quarters of his points left while Harley only had a quarter. "He's winning," she breathed softly.

Solidad nodded. "He's going to win. It's just a matter of how long it takes him," she pointed out.

Drew didn't let Harley even attempt a counterattack as he neatly dodged another Needle Arm attack. "Alright, let's wrap this up. Masquerain use Silver Wind and Espeon use Last Resort!"

The blast of silver backed up an already dangerous move as Espeon hit Cacturne dead on. When the smoke cleared, Drew's Pokémon were barely panting, whereas both of Harley's were down for the count. Harley's points were teetering close to zero and Drew still had over half of his own and there were still two minutes left on the clock.

The crowd erupted and Drew's face filled the screen. Solidad clapped and May joined her, still a little startled. The older coordinator looked down at the brunette.

"So May, do you still want to battle Drew?" she asked lightly.

May exhaled slowly. "He steamrolled Harley. That wasn't even close!" She whipped her head to look at Solidad. "I don't even know what to say!"

Solidad laughed. "Well you two know so much about each other, that it will come down to who is the better coordinator tomorrow. That's really all there is to it at this point. It will be a Grand Festival Final to remember and whoever leaves with that Ribbon Cup will have earned it."

She nodded almost robotically. The crowd was still roaring for Drew and the male coordinator raised a hand to the audience, his expression incredibly smug. Across from him, Harley was fuming. He crossed his arms furiously and stormed off the pitch. Solidad pursed her lips.

"I'm going to go find Harley and do some damage control. You should try and beat the rush back to the Pokémon Centre," Solidad advised. "Get some sleep tonight May, you'll need everything you've got to beat him in the finals tomorrow."

May nodded again and watched Solidad squeeze past people and disappear into the crowd. May stood and followed after her, pushing through herds of loud fans as she made her way to the exit. Already people were streaming out of the stadium into the rain and May made a face. It was still raining. It had been raining all day, and by the look of the ominous clouds that stretched in every direction, there didn't seem to be an end in sight.

She pulled the hood of her jacket up and ventured into the streets. She ran to the Pokémon Centre. All sorts of people were crowded in the lobby, gushing about both Drew and Harley's battle and her own against Marina. May kept her hood up to hide her face and slipped up the stairs to the room she'd rented. She had a strategy to plan.

May called out her Wartortle and the Pokémon perched itself on May's bed. She patted his head gently and smiled. "We've got some work to do to beat Drew," she informed the Water Type.

* * *

It was late and May couldn't sleep. The window of her room was open and she could clearly hear the pounding of the never-ending rain outside. She was tense and very nervous. Her whole journey had built up to this point and she couldn't help but remember the day she set out on her travels, determined to hate Pokémon. She thought back to her first contest, her first ribbon and her first Grand Festival.

She'd been waiting for this moment for a long time.

The finals of the Johto Grand Festival were tomorrow and either she or Drew Hayden, rival of 5 years, would be walking away with a Ribbon Cup, a Top Coordinator title, and their dream fulfilled.

Her breathing was deep and even and the bed was comfortable, but May still couldn't sleep. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. A trip to the roof would calm her nerves, she decided. She snagged her jacket on the way to the door and slipped out silently.

When she climbed the stairs to her destination, the door was cracked open already. May gently pushed it open and peeked out. Someone was already sitting just outside the door, under the awning, staring up at the dark clouds. She cautiously approached and sat next to him, tucking her legs into her chest. Drew turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Morning," he drawled slowly. He looked tired and May figured that he was probably struggling with a problem similar to hers.

Her eyes widened, startled. "It's already that late?" she asked, her voice rising a pitch.

He shrugged in response. "Or that early. What's up with you, May? Can't sleep?"

She turned her blue eyes to the sky. "Yeah, something like that," she admitted. The sky was dark, coated in thick grey clouds that dumped rain on Goldenrod. "Nervous for tomorrow?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"More than I'd like to be," he admitted. "It's going to be a hell of a battle." When May looked at him again, Drew was studying her intently.

She ducked her head a little and felt heat blossom in her cheeks. "Why do you keep doing that?" she asked. He cocked his head, confused, in response. May gestured a little widely and continued, "the whole staring thing."

"You're beautiful," he said honestly. His tone was sincere and May thought she was going to have a heart attack. Drew looked out over the hazy skyline of the big city. "This place reminds me of home," he confessed softly.

May thought for a moment. La Rousse City in Hoenn and Goldenrod were both large cities, though Goldenrod was much dirtier. She could however, see where Drew's point came from. "La Rousse, right?"

"Born and raised," he sighed almost bitterly. "I don't suppose you'd understand, but my father and I never got along for my entire childhood. I'm sure you've guessed, but I was a rich and pretty spoiled kid, but I hated it. I hated the way my father used his money to make us better than everyone else."

May's brow knit. Drew so rarely spoke so openly of his childhood and she'd never heard him say anything about his father. She bravely reached out and touched his hand, encouraging him to continue.

"I never talk about it, but my mother died when I was six. After she died, my dad got bitter. One day, just after I'd turned ten, I confronted him. I asked him why he was a bad person. He was bland, ignorant, selfish and blind. I made him cry." Drew paused, taking a sharp breath in. "He brought me to the window in his office and we looked out over the city together.

"He told me that someone or something gave mankind the earth and we turned it into something worth living for. My father had been an ambitious young man and he'd wanted to build something unique and incredible. He told me that he dedicated his whole life to building the Battle Tower, so much that he didn't know how to do anything else. He said it was a wonder my mother even stuck around."

"Drew," May murmured softly, but her rival wasn't done.

"The problem was, that once he built the Battle Tower, he didn't know what to do anymore. He had spent his whole life preparing for the day it would open and when it did, he lost purpose. That's when he became shallow and disconnected," Drew explained. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.

May didn't know what to say. Drew's relationship with his father was obviously tense and strained, and she couldn't relate to him since she had a very good relationship with both her parents and even with her brother, even as annoying as he could be.

"That day, when he was honest with me, was the first day I dared to tell him that I wanted to be a coordinator and go on my own journey. I was surprised to find that he supported it. He called coordinating one of the beauties in the world that would never fade. But, I can't help but feel that winning a Ribbon Cup would be like opening the Battle Tower. What comes next?" Drew looked stressed and even a little upset.

May took a minute to absorb everything he said, but she placed a hand on his arm. "I don't really know," she confessed honestly. "I've never thought past becoming a Top Coordinator either."

Drew nodded. "That's the problem. I refuse to become my father if I win tomorrow. There's a small part of me that almost wishes it wasn't happening. My whole life I've been dreaming of that Ribbon Cup. Now I'm so close that I can touch it, but I don't even know if I want it anymore," he admitted.

May bumped their shoulders together lightly. "Don't become your father, Drew. When you win your Ribbon Cup, be it tomorrow or in five more years, you have to be better. Besides, there are plenty of people who win Ribbon Cups and keep competing like Solidad or Robert."

Drew chuckled. "The world could use more people like you May," he informed her. His tone had lightened and he looked less stressed.

The female coordinator looked at him cautiously. "What does that mean exactly?" she inquired.

"Only good things, I promise," Drew swore, a smile tilting his lips up. May couldn't help but spot the adorable dimples in his cheeks. Idly, he mused, "I wonder if they'll open up the roof tomorrow if it doesn't stop raining."

May squinted into the dark clouds before resting her chin on her knees. "You know, I'm not sure," she said. "They may or may not. It doesn't look like it's going to stop though," she observed.

"Who knows," he quipped sardonically, "maybe it'll rain forever."

May gasped and shoved him lightly. "Don't even joke about that. How are you so nonchalant about the rain? I hate it! It doesn't rain that often in Hoenn too."

Drew shrugged. "I guess I'm just mysterious like that."

May smiled. "Whatever you say, greenie."

He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "What did you just call me?"

May grinned. "Greenie. For your hair, of course."

His expression deadpanned. "Ha ha, you're so funny." Without warning, his hands darted up and pressed lightly into her sides, right on the ticklish spots. May squealed and squirmed. Drew cracked up and withdrew his hands.

May exhaled slowly, trying to stem her giggles. "Please never do that again," she begged.

Drew laughed. "No promises Princess, it was adorable."

May wasn't really sure what lead to the next part, but maybe her exhaustion was catching up. Maybe it was just the soothing sound of the rain before them or the chill that was starting to seep in. She leaned and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Drew stiffened slightly, but he relaxed and leaned his own head on top of hers. May felt his arm slide around her waist and she smiled.

It was peaceful.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Part 7 is complete! There's only one chapter left and it's the longest one. I'd know because, it's almost finished! For once, I'll be able to update Part 7, finish up Part 8 soon, and it will all be good! This is coming out on September 4, and Part 8 should be out on September 11. That's only a week. Have two updates so close to each other is long overdue.

There will also be a new Contestshipping one-shot coming out. In fact, you may see it today! It's a companion piece to ' _Pieces of a Whole'_ that has somehow already surpassed 5K, almost 6.

I really, really need to find the time and inspiration for the Big Bang. Here's to hoping...

Tumblr: nicolewrites  
Ao3: nicole_writes

-Nicole


	8. Eighth: He Is in Love

**Part 8: He Is in Love**

* * *

 _And you knew what it was_

 _He is in love_

 _You can hear it in the silence, silence_

 _You can feel it on the way home, way home  
_

 _You could see it with the lights out, lights out  
_

 _You are in love, true love_

\- You Are In Love, Taylor Swift

* * *

To May's disappointment, when she trudges downstairs the next morning, Drew is nowhere in sight. Solidad and Harley are sitting at a table and Harley is sulking, but there's no sign of her rival and upcoming opponent. May slides in across from Harley, next to Solidad and both her rivals look at her.

"Ready?" Solidad asks, skipping the formalities. May be able to only shrug. Her conversation with Drew from the night before is still fresh in her mind and she can still feel the heat of his body pressed against her own. The Top Coordinator smiles at May's silence. "You just missed him," she informed, reading May's mind. "He's headed to the contest hall already. I hope you're ready to face him, May, because he's certainly ready to battle you."

May remembers the fire in his green eyes and she can't stop a smile from spreading across her face. "Solidad, I think I was born for this moment."

The older coordinator smiles. "That's the spirit May. I hope you understand, but I'll be remaining a happy neutral during the battle. You and Drew are two of my closest friends. I'll be happy and sad no matter who wins today."

May nodded. She had expected no less from Solidad. "Of course I understand," she reassured.

"Well," Harley cut in with a snooty tone. "You'd better win May. Drew beat me and for that he needs to pay."

She glanced curiously at Harley. May knew he wouldn't be cheering for Drew, but she didn't think that he would be cheering for her instead. She had figured he would root for the referee or something ridiculous. "Thanks Harley," she replied tactfully. He grunted in return.

Her Pokéballs were starting to weigh down her pockets and her stomach was starting to flip. For once in her life, May was pretty sure that eating anything would make her absolutely sick. Her Pokégear buzzed against her leg and she plucked it out of her pocket, turning it on.

Dawn had messaged her good luck from Sinnoh and gave regards from Ash, Brock and Zoey as well. Apparently they were watching from Lake Valor before the Sinnoh Grand Festival kicked off as well. She'd sent along a winky face in the message and May knew exactly why. Her cheeks reddened, but she couldn't hide her smile.

When she looked up, Solidad and Harley were both giving her curious looks. May just smiled brightly and disguised it as nerves. "Good luck wishes from Ash and the gang," she explained vaguely.

Solidad smiled in return. "That's nice," she commented. "You probably should make your way to the stage soon," Solidad reminded, pointing out the clock on the nearby wall.

May blinked. She had less than half an hour before her match and she still wanted to brief her Pokémon. "Oh Mew, I have to go!" she blurted, standing up so fast that her knees knocked on the underside of the table. She flashed one more confident smile to her friends and headed for the exit.

On the short, rainy walk to the contest hall, May constantly felt eyes on her and noticed that fans and eliminated contestants alike were watching her curiously. Their gazes made her a little uneasy. She'd always had fans, but never at this scale. She quickened her pace towards the hall and blinked the raindrops out of her eyes as she walked.

When she slid inside the door, the first person she saw was Marina who gave her a bright smile and a wink. Lucy was with her and waved enthusiastically. May waved back and gave both girls her best smile. From there, she headed towards her locker room to get ready. She passed by a crowd of girls outside another set of doors and realized with a start that it was Drew's locker room.

They were calling his name, banging on the door and yelling for him to come out. May almost laughed. Drew's fangirls were out today in full force and she bit down on her lip to keep from smiling as security appeared from around the corner and herded the girls away.

May didn't catch a glance of Drew as she walked past his locker room to her own. Once she passed the door, she let the thoughts of her rival shift to the back of her mind as she called out her decided Pokémon pair. The battle for the title was looming over her head and she was determined to meet Drew with her absolute best and give him a battle to remember.

* * *

She finally saw him as their names were called to the roaring crowd and they walked out into deafening cheers and flashing stage lights. The roof of the stadium was closed due to the rain, but May was fine with that-she wasn't planning on using a Flying type. Drew lifted his hand to the crowd and a confident smirk tipped up his lips.

May connected their eyes and smiled. She raised both of her hands and soaked in the cheers of the crowd, feeling them rock her right to her core. Drew's eyes were still fixed on her and she gave him her most confident look and his smirk widened. Their rivalry-five years-had led to this point and they were both so ready for that title that May was sure this would be the toughest battle she'd ever fought.

Her knuckles tightened around her selected Pokéballs in anticipation as the MC introduced each competitor. Drew's Pokéballs were tucked between his fingers and he looked confident. When the referee raised his hands, time slowed. May felt her connection to her Pokémon deep in her soul and made her move.

Across from her, Drew did the same.

Flygon, Blaziken, Absol, and Wartortle land on the field.

May felt the laugh bubble up in her chest and she was unable to hold it in as the reality of the situation set in. She looked at Drew and he didn't look surprised. He looked amused though and May fought to get her laughter under control. This was the exact same match-up that had occurred at the Kanto Grand Festival and it was long overdue a rematch.

The flags rose and fell and Drew jumped on the attack, calling for a Dragon Breath. Flygon let loose the attack and May barely commands her partners to dodge. The purple stream narrowly misses both Blaziken and Wartortle. Drew was standing perfectly still, his expression composed and May was struck again by the memories of their early morning confessions, but she blocked him out. It was time to battle.

"Wartortle, use Aqua Jet!" she commands. Her Pokémon obediently uses the priority move to try and get in close and just before she can call an Aqua Tail attack, Drew counters.

Absol's Razor Wind rips through Aqua Jet and knocks Wartortle back and takes a sixteenth of May's points-first blood.

May bit her lip, but focused on Blaziken, instructing a Blaze Kick. Drew didn't have time to dodge and her Fighting type lands the attack and their points were equal once again. They were only forty seconds into the match, but already May saw fire blazing in Drew's eyes and she didn't need to see a mirror to know she looked the same.

"Sandstorm!" he yelled. May's heart skipped a beat as Flygon whipped its tail, stirring dust up. The cloud grew bigger and bigger as the Dragon-Ground type whipped up the sand storm.

Her vision of Blaziken and Wartortle was obstructed and May knew she was in trouble. Not only could she not see her own Pokémon, but Drew was clearly used to this tactic so she had no idea where Flygon and Absol would be. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she tried to regain her composure, but the panic lingered deep inside.

"Night Slash," Drew commanded, sounding as cool and confident as ever.

May had no idea which of her Pokémon Absol was attacking, so she yelled the first thing that came to mind. "Jump!"

Blaziken sprung up over the cloud of smoke and Drew frowned. Seconds later it appeared like it hadn't been enough as Wartortle was sent flying out of the sandstorm. Her turtle Pokémon rocked back on his shell, unable to continue. Her throat tightened and her points dropped more. She returned Wartortle, pressing a kiss to the top of his Pokéball.

As if suddenly luck was on her side, she caught the briefest glimpse of Flygon hiding in the sand. Since she still knew exactly where Blaziken was thanks to his spring jump, she felt a little surer of herself as she called her next move. "Sky Uppercut, Blaziken!"

Her starter sprung forward, moving blindly and yet accurately as it solidly hit Drew's Flygon, sending the Dragon type flying out of the sandstorm on his side. Drew's lips pressed together in frustration as he returned his defeated Pokémon. As he did so, the sand around the pitch settled slowly back into nothingness.

Blaziken and Absol were left standing on opposite ends of the field. They were both battered, but definitely still able to battle and May knew that she wasn't out of the woods yet. Her eyes found Drew's from across the field and for a second, all the sound just disappeared.

He looked fired up and also a little stressed and there was a crease in his brow. His green eyes looked so alive and May could almost feel the adrenaline flowing through him just as it seared through her veins. They were rivals, the ultimate match-up, in a battle for their dreams and it was dead even. Her whole career as a coordinator had led to this point and as she looked across the pitch at Drew, he met her gaze and her heart flipped.

Win or lose, May had finally figured it out. She and Drew were two incredible coordinators and it didn't matter who walked away with the title, because they had an incredible connection. Yet in that moment, with the crowds screaming and their Pokémon panting and the rain pounding into the roof above their heads, it was as if the world had righted itself and May saw her goal.

She extended a hand forwards and the command that left her lips was barely heard as Blaziken launched forward, using Sky Uppercut once again. Her eyes caught Drew's once more as he waved a hand forth, his emotive state radiating, and called Slash.

The Pokémon collided and locked for a second before they were both shooting backwards. As soon as they hit the ground they had launched towards each other again. May chose Blaze Kick and Drew chose Night Slash and they once again locked and the flames and darkness radiating around them was startlingly beautiful. Once again, the resulting block resulted in a tie as the two Pokémon staggered back.

Drew caught her eye once more and he lifted his chin, a confident smirk settling into place. "Aerial Ace!" he yelled.

May felt dread rush her bones. The Flying type move would be super effective and if it landed a direct hit, Blaziken was done. Aerial Ace, she recalled in a panic, was a one hundred percent accurate move. The only thing she could do was hope to lessen the damage.

"Overheat!" she cried, forcing the fear out of her voice.

Blaziken let loose a swirling vortex of fire and May's eyes widened. It was not Overheat; it was something stronger and far more intimidating. Later, she would find out that Blaziken had learned Blast Burn in the perfect timing. Absol didn't even slow with Aerial Ace, launching straight through the fire to land a solid hit that made a cloud of smoke erupt.

May's heart skipped a beat as she watched, shoulders tight with anticipation. As the dust settled, Blaziken was kneeling, but still conscious. Across from her starter, Absol was also up, but after a second, the Disaster Pokémon flinched heavily and May knew it was burned. She was about to call another attack for Blaziken when the buzzer sounded and her voice died in her throat.

May, Drew, and the rest of the stadium stared at the scoreboard. The points were nearly equal, but there was one competitor with a tiny fraction more in points.

The crowd erupted in cheers and May watched as a face that wasn't her own lit up the screen. Her eyes darted across the pitch to Drew. He was staring slack-jawed at the screen as if he couldn't believe he had won. He glanced at her, green eyes swirling with all sorts of emotions. He had won through the tiniest margin May had ever seen and he wasn't sure whether to celebrate or collapse in relief.

May tipped her head to him, conceding defeat, and letting him know that she was proud of him for winning. Drew's expression split into one of pure happiness and the most radiant smile she'd ever seen took over his face. He ran to Absol and embraced his partner and May felt her heart flutter for him. Drew deserved it; there was no one she would have rather faced and lost to.

Blaziken padded across the pitch towards her, exhausted and worn. May ran the last few steps to him, throwing her arms around her starter. "I'm so proud of you," she assured, blinking away tears.

She had come so far and though she had lost, she was incredibly proud of her Pokémon. Internally, she was crushed, but she painted on her best smile and promised herself to be happy for Drew. After all, he hadn't beaten her by much and it was a victory he had earned.

May recalled Blaziken and tucked his Pokéball away. "Get some rest," she said softly. "I'm so proud of you."

Drew had returned his Absol by the time she looked up and he was already walking towards the halfway point in the field. May walked quickly out to meet him. They stood face to face and the crowds' cheering didn't lesson at all. He extended a hand to her, as was customary after a match, but May ignored him.

She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. Drew doesn't hesitate to hug her back and May inhales shakily. He was warm and familiar and May smiled. Her heart was still beating with adrenaline, but she wasn't sure whether it was from the heat of the battle or her racing mind and wild emotions in that moment.

After what was probably a touch long for a friendly hug, they broke apart, but Drew didn't remove his hands from May's waist. He was tentative touching her, but May left her hands on his shoulders too. She smiled brightly at him, heart still pounding. Everything in her brain was screaming at her to lean forwards and kiss him, but the roar of the crowd hadn't dissipated and May knew that kissing him here would be a terrible idea.

So she retracted her hands back to her side and stepped out of his embrace. "Congratulations," she said firmly.

Drew's smile slipped a little and he looked like he wanted to say something to her, but he didn't and instead just nodded. Their gazes both shot skyward as a loud creaking sound announced the opening of the roof. They watched in unison as the roof split away revealing grey clouds in the sky that shone a silvery tone from the hidden sunlight. The rain had finally let up. May smiled a little wider.

* * *

An hour later had May squeezed between Harley and Solidad in the stands as she watched Drew step onto the podium to be handed his Ribbon Cup. He raised it above his head and shared his brilliant smile with the world. From her seat at such a distance, May couldn't make out his slight dimples, but she knew they would be out in full force.

Her own smile was contagious and she caught Solidad glancing between Drew and her with a tiny smile perking the other coordinator's lips. May blushed, understanding the wordless implication and Solidad just laughed. May knew she had fed the fires with her and Drew's very much not-friendly hug after the battle and now she had to face the furnace.

* * *

It didn't take more than a minute for someone to corner May at the closing ceremonies. Thankfully it was a coordinator she liked, and Marina hugged the brunette tightly. Pulling back, she held May at arm's length and smiled radiantly.

"You were incredible today! Both you and Drew deserved the Ribbon Cup, and he just barely beat you, but that truly was a battle to watch. I'm proud to have lost to you," Marina explained.

May laughed and patted the other girl's arm. "Thank you," she said honestly.

Marina dropped her hands and gave May a quick once over. "You look lovely too," she added, dropping a little wink. "You'll knock his socks off."

May didn't even have a chance to respond as Marina darted away, teal curls bouncing over her silver dress. May watched her, cheeks warm, as she linked arms with a tall young man with messy dark hair. In the right light, he could almost look like Ash. She laughed, recalling the whirlwind of conversations she'd had after the battle. Ash had prattled on about how amazing she was, while Zoey and Dawn gushed over her combinations and Brock threw in a few words here and there. She'd spoken to her family too and some other friends she'd met along the way.

She flattened her palms against her dress to smooth out imaginary wrinkles. There was no pretending that she wasn't trying to look nice because she was wearing the most expensive dress she owned. It was a black lace dress with a pale pink underskirt. The lace was embroidered with sequences that made it sparkle under the light, but avoided looking tacky. Her favourite features were the roses sewn into certain areas of lace. It was more low-cut than anything May was used to and the whole back was sheer so her back was visible through a thin layer of lace.

She'd put on matching pink heels with tiny black bows on them and her hair had been teased half-up and half-down with big bouncy curls. Dawn had called her and walked her through the process of putting on her make-up and though she felt a little uncomfortable in the amount she'd put on, the Sinnoh coordinator assured her that she looked stunning.

Marina complimenting her had made her feel more confident and she no longer felt out of place amidst the other coordinators who were all dolled up in the same fashion. She scanned the mobs of competitors for a familiar face, but didn't see anyone. A few people whose names she didn't know congratulated her, and May thanked them graciously.

Finally, May found Harley at the punch bowl, talking to Lucy. The redheaded New Bark town trainer was looking a little exasperated and May smiled to herself. Anyone would be that frustrated talking to Harley, except for maybe Solidad. She made her way over to them, and Lucy jumped on her appearance to avoid Harley.

The redhead had pin straight hair that fell below her shoulders and a dress that was yellow at the top and blue on the bottom and ombréed to a green colour in the middle. It was very pretty and May complimented her on it. Lucy laughed and thanked her before returning the compliment. Harley cleared his throat and May took in his purple suit. She forced a compliment out and Harley beamed at her, adding that she looked absolutely ravishing.

"Where's Solidad?" May asked, glancing around.

"She went looking for Drew," Harley explained, picking at his nails like he was bored. "She'll be back once she realizes that she can't find him."

"Drew's not here?" May questioned, surprise ebbing into her voice.

"No," Solidad agreed, appearing out of the crowd. "He's not here anywhere."

May set her jaw. "He'll be here. He just won the Grand Festival, he has to come!" she insisted.

Solidad's expression told her that she wasn't as sure, but she smiled at May anyways. "I'm sure you're right," she said.

May glanced around the room, looking for a flash of green hair, but she saw nothing.

* * *

An hour passed in the party and May still had not found Drew. She danced with several people including Harley, and a couple of the male coordinators she deemed nice enough, but there was still no Drew. She had found herself next to Solidad again as Mr. Contesta stood on the stage at the front of the room and called for everyone's attention.

He thanked the judges and the staff of the event and the city of Goldenrod for hosting, and he also honoured all the competitors for earning five ribbons and coming out to compete in the largest Grand Festival in Johto's history. Contesta's eyes searched the crowd until they picked out May and he smiled at her, wrinkles crinkling the corners of his eyes.

"A special congratulations to the Runner Up, May Maple of Petalburg!" he said, still smiling at her.

The crowd of coordinators clapped enthusiastically for her and a few people cheered and May heard someone whistle. A light fell on her like a spotlight. She giggled and blushed, but raised her hand and waved, glowing with pride. Contesta eventually waved his hands for silence and all eyes fell back on him.

"And now to congratulate, again, our winner and the Johto region's newest Top Coordinator, Mister Drew Hayden!"

A light roved over the crowd looking for Drew, but he was still nowhere to be found. People murmured in confusion and scanned the faces of people next to them for the winner, but no one was able to find him. A frown slid onto May's face as she too, caught no sign of Drew.

Contesta looked awkward, but he called for attention and congratulated everyone one last time before he stepped off the stage and let the festivities resume. People were still confused about Drew not showing up, and May was beginning to feel less confident in her assumption that her rival would show himself before the night ended.

Solidad touched May's arm gently to catch her attention. "May, have you even thought that Drew might not be coming?" she asked gently. "We both know he never sticks around after contests, that could extend to the Grand Festival as well," she proposed.

"No," May argued, shaking her head. "He's always stuck around after the Grand Festival."

"But how often have you seen him at the closing ceremonies?" Solidad pointed out.

May paused. She'd never seen him at closing ceremonies. He was always off somewhere else. She remembered finding him on the beach in Hoenn where he'd been training with Masquerain. Suddenly she recalled a conversation she'd had with him before the festival started when they'd been having coffee in Goldenrod. He had claimed that the National Park was his favourite area of Goldenrod. She'd stumbled across him training there multiple times in the week too.

A sudden revelation caused May to straight up and pull away from Solidad. "I have to go," she said vaguely.

Solidad just smiled. "Go find him," she said firmly.

May turned and darted off into the crowd.

* * *

He was sitting on a bench in front of the largest fountain in the park, bathed in light from the streetlight overhead. He was wearing a dress shirt, tie, dress pants and dress shoes. There was even a coat draped over the back of the bench. From his attire, May guessed that he had originally been planning to attend the ceremony. His Ribbon Cup was on the ground at his feet and Drew was massaging his temples like he had a headache.

He didn't look up as she approached and she sat silently on the bench next to him.

"You didn't come," she murmured softly.

Drew finally looked at her. His green eyes were clouded with so many emotions that May couldn't pick one to focus on, so she just smiled sadly at him. "I don't like parties," he reminded. May raised an eyebrow at him, but Drew just looked away, squinting up into the light overhead. "I wanted some time to reflect," he continued.

He ran a hand through his hair agitatedly and May brushed her knee against his reassuringly. "I phoned my father," he confessed. "I wanted him to be proud of me, to tell me that I battled well." His hands curled into fists. "He didn't watch it. He didn't watch any of it." He paused and May sat, waiting for him to continue. "I won a Ribbon Cup and he didn't even watch."

May opened her mouth to say something reassuring, but Drew's hand suddenly covered her own, surprising her. "There's something extremely important I need to tell you," he confessed. May blinked in surprise. "I'm going to talk, and you are not allowed to interrupt me," he said matter of factly.

He took a deep breath and looked out over the silent park. "I won the Grand Festival. I'm a Top Coordinator. I worked for years to get to this point and now that I'm here. I'm so grateful to my Pokémon, to my friends, and especially to you. Facing you in the finals, I was more nervous than I'd ever been in my life and rightfully so. That was a battle that I'll never forget. You lit a fire in my blood and I only barely beat you. And honestly, I'm so glad it was you. It wouldn't have been the same if I had faced anyone but you.

"I'm honoured and humbled by the fact that you classify me as your rival. You're a much better person than me, and I'm grateful for the chances you have given me as a friend and a rival. We started off rivals, and through Hoenn that's what we were, but here in Johto, and through Kanto too, we were friends." He paused and May was staring at him, wide-eyed. His lips tilted into a tiny smile. "I never had a lot of friends. Before you, the only one I even liked was Solidad, but there were always people around through coordinating. Somebody told me that I'd meet my best friends through coordinating. With Solidad I believed it, but I never thought there would be somebody else until you came along.

"I admire you," he admitted. "You have this spirit, this fire, that's unique to you and I've never met anyone who can match it. Through the years I've known you, we were rivals, friends and now, there's something that I've been trying to place since Kanto."

At this point May knew exactly where he was going and she really needed to do something. "Drew, stop," she said, cutting him off. He glanced at her, looking a little peeved, but May ploughed on. "I know you told me not to interrupt, but I'm at the point where I can fill in the rest myself and you need to let me talk too."

Their eyes locked and Drew said nothing. "When we met," May began, "you were a brat. I really, really didn't like you, even as good at coordinating as you were. Yet through our journeys, you've become my best friend alongside Ash and Brock. Every time we met in Johto, there was something there and I couldn't put my finger on. There were feelings I had for you that I've never felt for anyone else and maybe it took someone like Dawn or Solidad shining a light in my eyes, but now I can see it. This thing we have, it's real," she finished softly.

Drew's fingers brushed against her own and his eyes were clouded with a deep emotion that May felt all the way to her soul. She was so busy staring into his eyes, she almost didn't notice the rose he gently curled her fingers around, thornless, red, and flawless as usual. She glanced quickly down at it, brushing the tips of her fingers over the edges of the petals. It was slightly damp, but it had to be the most beautiful one she'd seen yet.

It's then she knew it: she loved Drew and Drew loved her.

He pressed his lips together and tried to disguise his smile. May pulled her hand away to muffle her own laughter and soon they were both laughing, the soft and romantic atmosphere ruined. As though determined to finish what he started, Drew abruptly cut off his laugh and leaned towards her.

His breath brushed softly across her cheeks and she caught a whiff of sandalwood and roses-from him or his cologne, she wasn't sure-and then he was kissing her. It was soft, tentative at first, but May leaned into him and Drew's hand brushed against her cheek, pulling her close.

She leaned away first, cheeks flushed. He was looking at her in a way that warmed her all the way to her core.

"When I met you on that beach in Hoenn, this is probably the last place I thought I would be," Drew admitted, his tone light and teasing.

May scoffed. "Excuse you," she retorted. Drew just smirked at her and May leaned up to wipe it off his face.

Right before their lips met again, a drop of rain fell from the dark clouds gathered and landed right on May's head. She jerked away from Drew and looked up. More rain followed and soon it was sprinkling. Drew frowned, but stood up, pulling May with him. He offered her his coat and she slid her bare arms through it gratefully. Drew picked up his Ribbon Cup with one hand and before she could think herself out of it, May slid her fingers into his.

He squeezed her hand gently and smiled at her. "The press are going to have a field day," he remarked.

May tapped her fingers against his. "Honestly," she started, "let them."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Wow. This story man... It took almost a year to complete thanks to writers block and my occasionally very busy life, but it's finally finished! Thanks to all the readers and reviewers, this couldn't have happened without you guys. I apologize for the long and unreasonable breaks between updates at times, but I thank you for sticking with the story. I'm so happy to say that Sand, my Contestshipping 8-piece, and my first multi-chapter, is complete!

I've been toying around with a couple of ideas at the moment as for what I want to do next.

1.) I'm writing an angsty Gary/Misty/Ash one-shot that I'm about 40-50% complete. The standing title, subject to change, is _fire in her veins_.

2.) I'm working on a couple of different multi-chapters, but I'm not sure where to go with any of them at the moment. _Warriors' Gazette_ , the Pokémon Highschool AU, is likely to be the first published, but I'm not sure it'll happen anytime soon.

3.) My PJO/HOO Big Bang piece. It's at 7,000 words and the target amount is at least 10,000. I've got the plot for it, I just have to write it. It has to be completed by October so hopefully my inspiration will have returned by then. I think this will be where I place my priority. I WILL GET IT DONE.

4.) A PJO Soulmate AU where one person gets a tattoo and it appears on the other person for Jasper. (0% written, some ideas penned)

5.) An angsty ML one-shot called _a crack in this façade of glass_ that's about 30% completed, but I'm blanking on it at the moment and I feel like I've written too much angst lately.

6.) A post-reveal ML one-shot called _so we'll take our time_ that I haven't started, but I have ideas for it.

7.) A Voltron angst one-shot that's about 70% written

Anyways, thanks for reading Sand, I hope you enjoyed the story!

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AO3: nicole_writes

-Nicole


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